Starlight Traveler
by tsurugaren
Summary: Instead of fan girl stumbling into the arms of a certain Elven Prince in Middle Earth, this story is about the aforementioned prince falling onto Earth and meeting Shannon, a young modern woman who knows nothing about LOTR. Cultural shock is inevitable. What truly troubles the seasoned warrior is not how the landscapes change but to hold onto his heart without shattering. Slow burn
1. First Contact

**Writer's Notes:**

Hello! This is my first attempt of writing fan fiction. Hope you will enjoy and reviews/comments are most welcome!

This story is set after the defeat of Sauron, which marks the beginning of Fourth Age in Middle Earth. Timeline is not significant at the beginning, but as the story continues more references will be pointing back to canon. I try to make my characters and settings as realistic as possible, but there certainly have limitations to get there. Come on, we are talking about Elves, how realistic can we get? ^_^;;

I don't want to discuss too much about the background setting now, as I hope the story will explain itself as it unfolds. However one important assumption I have made in my story is that people in this world haven't heard of _The Lord of the Rings_ and its related books at all. They may heard of Elves from legends and myths but the works of our beloved Tolkien just don't exist. Which means that my characters will not have the advantage of learning the history of Middle Earth in advance or predict its future. ;-)

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Tolkien's work, of course.

* * *

 **Chapter 1 - First Contact**

Shannon checked the time from her iPhone again, which indicated she still had five minutes left before the estimated time. She quickly switched off her car and got out, hurried to the car trunk and hurled out a lightweight, foldaway lounger. She carried it around ten paces away, double checked the coordinates with her space app and set the lounger facing the correct direction. She lay down with a sigh of relief, relishing again her luck of finding the lounger from the web with a bargain price. She bought it ever since she started to indulge in her recently found passion: stargazing. She was still at amateur stage, following tickers from space apps and drove off to a nearby open field for star observation whenever her work didn't drag her too late into the night.

She glanced around and was a bit surprised she was virtually the only occupant of this location at the moment. The field, or a pasture with a few tall pine trees erected oldly at the east to be exact, was just a few minutes drive away from her house which situated at the outskirt of a group of houses. The field extended vastly towards the north, with scattered dim streetlights at the back, this convenient spot for stargazing was as ideal as she could have hoped for. She would have expected to see one or two random observers like her in the field; the meteor shower at the constellation Cygnus accompanied with a clear, moonless sky tonight should be quite a gaiety for astronomy enthusiasts.

 _Perhaps I am the only one interested in this neighbourhood_ , Shannon mused while sinking deeper into her seat. She welcomed the solitude she found here, allowing her sense to expand and her mind reaching far and deep into the fathomless night sky. She imagined herself being wrapped around by the starry blanket above her, feeling humbled and insignificant but eerily in peace all the while. Invisible chains that had been strangling her emotionally seemed to ease a bit; estrangement from work, but mostly from people.

 _One person in particular._

She abruptly pulled her trains of thought to a halt and consciously steered her mind away from the danger zone. Tonight was dedicated for relaxation and spiritual renewal, which she could not afford taunting her long-awaited meteor shower with such noxious reflection. She confirmed the time again from her phone in night mode. _Should be about to start_ , she reassured herself while her eyes quickly identified Deneb, Cygnus brightest star, and started to track the Northern Cross.

 _Thud._

A dull, heavy sound, not too loud but definitely unmistakable, was heard from her back. She instinctively swirled and landed her gaze onto her car. Nothing amiss. She thought while venturing her gaze slightly upwards, caught her breath, and in the next second gave out the shrillest scream she had never imagined herself capable of before.

A human-shaped figure was standing still on top of her car gazing down at her. Shannon was not sure what horrified her more, that someone suddenly appeared without any prior notification, or someone boorishly standing on top of her car, or both. She quickly covered her mouth with her hands, meanwhile her gaze never faltered from the shocking sight she was trying to process.

Under minimal streetlights from afar, it was so dark that Shannon should not be able to recognize anything no matter how hard she stared, but disconcertingly she could faintly identify the human figure as a man with pale skin and silver hair all swept back. From her angle she observed him as tall and leanly built. She then realised why her heart throbbed ever so quickly while she stared at his face; in this pitch-dark setting, this man's skin and hair were emitting a soft, ethereal glow. The silver sheen was faint and might not be noticeable under a moonlit sky, but without the moon and streetlights nearby he seemed to light himself up. Shannon now sweaty palms clammed tigher around her mouth to avoid another round of panic screams, though her attempt of calming her frenzy thoughts was futile as they jumbling around a single word: ghost. _Ghost!_ Shannon scrambled her mind for the long forgotten Lord's Prayer she had been taught at primary school and jittering it repeatedly in her mind.

 _What?_

A masculine voice, firm yet melodic, came from the ghost. He seemed to repeat his sentence, then tried again with something different. It looked as if he was trying to ask her something. _Oh dear, he is talking to me!_ All Shannon wanted was to turn around and fled as quickly as she could, but behind her was the empty, dark field, while civilization was actually behind the ghost. _And he is standing on top on my car. How am I going to get away from this?_ Shannon thought miserably and felt absolutely trapped.

The ghost leaped down lightly from the car as if he contained no weight, which Shannon did not miss to observe despite her near paranoid state. Now standing on the same level she noticed him to be strikingly tall. He started to walk towards her, incomprehensible words kept flowing from his mouth and opened his arms. _He wants to lure and catch me!_ Shannon stepped back while the ghost stepped towards her. She suddenly tripped and started to fall backwards. She frantically spread her arms and braced herself for the impact. But instead of hitting hard onto the ground, she found herself stopping mid air.

The ghost, who should be around ten paces from her, managed to shorten their distance within half a second and now wrapping his arm around her waist. The remaining shreds of logic finally evaporated and Shannon, in her full panic mode, started screaming and scratching and hitting. If she was calm enough to observe, she could see the ghost actually winced at her screams with a troubling look marking his face. He did not move an inch from Shannon's aggression, his arm still holding her waist to keep her balance. At last he decided to move again, first putting Shannon back to her feet, then once he freed his arm he swiftly caught hold of her wrists and tried to talk to her again in a softer voice.

Something in his tone dripped back a bit of self-consciousness into Shannon's mind. She stopped her assaults, though still hyperventilating a little, and gradually taking in her surroundings. She felt something from her wrists. _Warmth_. The large hands wrapped around her thin wrists form a warm, pleasant cuff, which further knocked more sense into her. _Ghost could not be warm_. She pondered. The ghost kept speaking to her gently, the language he used was not known to her but she found it indescribably soothing to hear. She dared herself further by slowing pull her gaze from his chest and looked up to his face through her eyelashes.

She gasped and drank in the detail of her ghost. High cheekbones, tall straight nose, strong jawline, articulately arched lips and perfect complexion were all exceedingly remarkable, but what struck her most was his eyes. Stormy gray eyes piercing into her, expressive they seemed yet strangely unreadable at the same time. Being gazed down by those eyes were unnerving, but his gaze was not unkind and held certain degree of sincerity that lessened a lot of their intimidating qualities. The overall combination of his features were too perfect that made him look surreal, like CG characters drawn by top graphic designers. _Too good to be human._

Having calmed down significantly, Shannon started to pull away. The stranger (she did hesitate if she should tick off the possibility of him being a ghost that easily) seemed to took her cue and released her hands, and Shannon quickly fell a few steps backwards to gain back her personal space. The stranger said something again, looking a bit exasperated.

"Who are you? And I don't understand what you are talking about." Her voice came out steadier than she imagined. The stranger looked at her blankly.

"Do you speak English?"

The stranger slightly frowned and said something in his language, looking concerned. Without waiting for her reply, the stranger turned around, stared at her car for a moment and then looked keenly towards the streetlights and roads afar. Shannon took the opportunity and observed the stranger's appearance more.

Now seeing his back, she noticed his silver hair was long, _very_ long for normal male in modern societies, with braids around his crown to hold the hair in place. Her eyes fell onto his ears. _Are they… pointy?_ Before she could process this information her gaze continued downwards along his back. He was carrying something like a quiver of arrows with a bow attached to it. As awkward as it might sound, through the dim glow from his hair Shannon tried to figure out what he was wearing. He wore something looked like a tunic, trousers and long boots. He wore a belt with some kind of metal buckled at the left of his hip. _He has a gun?_ Shannon shuddered at the thought, but as she worked out the curves and hilt of the object, it looked more like a dirk.

 _Pointy ears, long hair, carrying arrows and knife completed with a medieval look…. Is he some kind of cosplayer for RPG games?_

Shannon allowed herself to draw a safer assumption, calming her nerves a bit more. The cosplayer (she felt slightly better calling him something she was more familiar with) whirled back to her and said something anxiously. _He is quite into his character, isn't it? How long does he want to carry on his game?_ Shannon tilted her head slightly and returned a blank look to him. He turned his head towards the tall pine trees at his right and started jogging towards them. She continued to look at his back getting farther and farther away while debating with herself whether or not she should take the chance and retreat. There were still a lot of questions she wanted to ask him, including how could he managed to glow in the dark (the cosmetic industries must have some recent breakthroughs she was not aware of). She also wanted to reprimand his impoliteness of stepping onto other people's vehicle, however her girly instincts told her that it was not totally safe to remain in this pitch-dark field alone with a suspicious male, no matter how stunning he looked.

She took her lounger, folded it carefully, and carried it to her car as quietly as she could. She kept staring at him while she doing her work, like a squirrel inching cautiously away when its predator was not paying attention. The cosplayer now stood still in front of the tree with his palms pressing onto the trunk. _What is he doing there?_ Shannon wondered. Her eyes grew wide as saucers as she witnessed what he was doing next.

He was climbing swiftly up the tree, like monkeys. It might not be fair to describe his actions like monkeys, as his movement bore grace that could shame the best Olympic gymnasts, yet she had not seen anyone who could climb up a near 40 meters tall tree with such ease and speed, apart from documentaries about monkeys she had watched before. She watched in awe as he reached the top of the pine tree in mere seconds, and he stayed at the top motionless, looking towards the direction of roads and houses.

The situation was getting creepier again. Shannon turned and quickly loaded her lounger into her car. A small voice in her worried if he could get down safely by himself, but a larger voice urged her to focus more on her own perseverance. She got into her car and started the engine. She took another glance of the cosplayer and paused.

 _Is he looking to my direction now? Wait… what!? Is he jumping down from that height?_

He was not exactly doing a free fall from the top of the tree, but jumping down effortlessly from branch to branch, each seemed to be quite far apart.

 _Now he is definitely doing better than a monkey._

Shannon quickly released the brake and pulled away. Her heartbeat started to quicken again as her assumption of this person started to sway again, now leaning back more towards the non-human category. She increased her speed in hope of reaching the road faster, but suddenly a human figure appeared in front of her car. Everything happened too quickly, and she reflexively tried to reach the brake but she knew she could not avoid hitting the person.

Her car stopped abruptly and Shannon's body threw forward and then backward forcefully into the carseat absorbing the impact. Under the blinding headlamps she recognized the one standing in front of her car was the cosplayer. She frantically fell out of the car and ran to him.

"Oh my gosh! Are you alright?" Shannon shrieked and looked anxiously between him and her car. The cosplayer looked at her impassively with his right hand pressing down her car, forming a hand-shaped dent on the hood. Her BMW Coupé was supposed to be quite sturdily built, but now it was dented as if it had hit a large boulder instead of a fleshy human. _That couldn't be. And shouldn't he still be far at the trees?_ Shannon was dumbfounded. He started talking to her again, his hands gesturing her car and he looked slightly remorseful.

 _Is he apologizing for denting my car?_

Shannon's thought was running in rampage again, going through facets of her observation and tried to do a quick analysis.

 _Skin and hair glowing in the dark. Pointy ears. Unnaturally beautiful. Medieval look. Incomprehensible language. Inhuman speed, strength and agility._

All these seemed to point to someone not from this country.

 _Not from this planet._

She trembled with this sudden realisation and gaped at him, while he stared back with a tinge of concern.

 _HE IS AN ALIEN!_

Shannon had always been a great science fiction fans, with "Contact" as her all time favourite movie. Since she was a little girl she had been dreaming of what she would do if she could meet an alien. She would imagine aliens that managed to arrive this planet be sensible enough to stay discreet and low profile, avoid meddling with humans or at least keep their presence known to few. She thought those Hollywood's films of aliens attacking humans (and all managed to fail) were utterly ridiculous. If a civilization could wield such knowledge and power to land on another planet across the universe, how would it possible they could be defeated or outsmarted by humans, whose furthest they could set foot on was just their nearby satellite? When facing a race which possessed technology and knowledge probably hundreds of generations more advanced than Men, Shannon believed the best approach was try to be civil and made peace with them rather than acting hostile.

The alien in front of her was nothing like what she had imagined. He was nothing like the typical goblin or E.T. like creatures most media liked to depict as. Why dressed as a medieval man? Was that really his homeland's normal attire, or he tried to blend in human society but got the era off by a millennium? Which planet did he come from? What was his mission on Earth? Endless questions kept popping up in her mind. But first of all, Shannon decided she need to say something to him and express herself as a civilised human with no ill intentions. She then recalled their earlier encounter and flinched at the thought of hitting and screaming at him. She was determined to make this straight again.

Shannon straightened herself up and cracked the sweetest smile she could manage. The alien seemed puzzled at the sudden change of moods of this little human again and looked warily to her.

"Um… hello, sorry for forgetting my manners previously," she tried to use her most cheerful, friendly tone. "Errm… how are you?" The alien kept staring at her with utter confusion. She started to fidget. _Oh dear I have to do this right._ She tried to smile even brighter, ignoring how ludicrous she looked and how awkward the whole situation was. She then pointed to herself.

"My name is Shannon Fraser. You can call me Shannon."

And then she pointed to him, gesturing him for his turn. The alien kept staring. She repeated her name a few times more, wavering her hands back and forth in hopes of helping to make her message clearer. _Is there a universal, I mean, interplanetary way of doing self introduction?_ She started to worry.

Then as if finally realized what she meant, the alien virtually relaxed, his expression became gentler with a small smile gracing his handsome face. _Are all aliens this good-looking?_ Shannon was mesmerized.

"Shannon." The alien pointed to her and pronounced her name in thick accent. Shannon brightened and nodded enthusiastically. The alien seemed to channel her excitement. His eyes twinkled and pointed to himself.

"Legolas."


	2. Introduction to Modern Musicology

**Writer's Notes:**

Thank you so much for reviewing and following my story!

Raider-K: It is lots of fun imagining how Legolas will cope with our society. ;-) In fact I think it is even harder for Middle Earth folks getting used to our life than we going back to theirs. We at least roughly know what to expect in medieval world.

 **Background Music:** All-4-One. "I swear."

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Tolkien's work, of course.

* * *

 **Chapter 2** - **Introduction to Modern Musicology**

 _Legolas._

Shannon was pretty sure he had just informed her his name. She congratulated herself for this small but important first step towards interplanetary friendship. _What then?_ She froze. Legolas was still looking at her expectantly and seemed to wait for her next move.

Shannon would like to understand more about him, but this dark deserted field was not an ideal place for proper social bonding. Bringing him to a public place was too risky as he didn't blend in at all, not to mention his strange outfit and weapons would definitely drew unwelcome attention and even got the police involved. Police. Shannon was alarmed with this newly brought up issue. She could not let the police get near Legolas. Not only because he looked absolutely suspicious, but also that she highly doubted he possessed any documents to prove himself as a regular citizen. With his superhuman reflexes he might be able to fight off easily, but there was no prove that he was impenetrable by bullets. If the police managed to take him away she would have no way to retrieve him back. Even worse, if the police identified him as non-human they might escalated straight to NASA, sent him to laboratories and generated huge social upheaval by mass media.

 _No, dear no. Can not let him befall onto the hands of crazy scientists and paparazzi._

She looked up into his eyes again. She tried to stay as objective as she could without being clouded by his unnatural beauty. His clear eyes, still not telling her much about his emotion, shown patience, wisdom and no foul feelings. She made up her mind before wimping out and did probably the most reckless thing she had ever done in her life.

"Legolas," she pronounced his name carefully, "would you like to come visit my place for a ...a chat?" She immediately berated herself sounding like some flirtatious girls hitting the bar. Legolas tilted his head a little, showing no sign of comprehension. Shannon could not find a way to deliver her simple message over their language barrier, so she opted for doing by action. She walked around her car and opened the passenger seat door.

"Please, " she gestured him to the car seat. Legolas' eyebrow went up a fraction, his eyes darting between Shannon and the car. He slowly approached the door and studied it with obvious fascination, tracing his hand delicately along the door frame, the glass and the leather-bounded seat. She wondered if he found the transportation used by human too primitive, but by his looks at least he was not repulsed by it. She was suddenly aware that he might be carrying too many luggage for him to sit inside comfortably.

"Eh… would you like to put away your arrows and bow first?" She said as she pointed to his quiver. She folded down the passenger seat and showed her the space behind. "You can leave them here and take them back afterwards, " she added with a smile as encouraging as she could. Legolas seemed to be digesting what she meant.

 _Or he might not feel comfortable enough to part with his weapons_ , Shannon observed. _But are those really his weapons?_ She could not imagine aliens who were capable of interstellar travel would still pick arrows, bows and knives as their weapon of choice. _That would be even more weird that Star Wars_.

Legolas started to unbuckle his quiver and bow and placed them at the back seat. Shannon was delighted his acceptance of her offer. She folded the seat to normal position and stepped back for him to get in. The car seat seemed a bit cramped for him, but he still managed to get in in one swift elegant move and settled himself comfortably. She helped him with the seat belt, which he looked uncomfortable being bound to the seat. She closed his door and hurried to the driver seat. She buckled her seat belt and glanced sideways to her passenger. "Let's go," and she started to drive towards the road.

The ride from the field to her house normally took less than ten minutes, but with her newly met extraterritorial friend sitting silently beside her, the trip felt painfully long and awkward. "Want some music?" Shannon asked out of courtesy, knowing her passenger would not understand her, and turned on the car hi-fi which auto linked to her iPhone. Legolas jumped as music suddenly played inside the car and glared alarmingly at the audio button which Shannon had just pressed. He said something quickly and scanned fiercely around towards various directions of speakers installed inside the car, which she guessed he was either questioning or complaining about the music. "Sorry for startling you," she smiled apologetically as she lowered the volume hoping to ease him more, but she kept the music flowing.

She felt grateful her iPhone picked up a ballad from her random playlist, which consisted of a wide range of songs, like pops, hip-hop, ballad, country, rock, and even some animation songs. This particular song was her all time favorite, and her gut feeling told her he might enjoy a soothing, romantic song more than furious rock and roll. Still looking bewildered, Legolas gradually loosened a bit and listened silently together.

Shannon loved this song so much she had bookmarked it and prepared to put it into the playlist for her wedding day. Marcus knew how much she loved this song and had even played this song during his proposal to her. Marcus. _Why bringing him up again?_ Shannon scolded herself vehemently, but she knew it was inevitable. The first time she heard this song was actually during high school prom when she danced with him. The golden boy and girl, people said. Both were high-achievers at school, active and popular, they scored top in their class and entered university together. Though they studied in different faculties, they still kept their relationship well through graduation. As any perfect story went, they both got decent jobs right away after graduation, climbing steadily up the social ladder together. Everyone asked when would they get married as everyone expected it would surely happened. _It was the right thing to do._ They believed too. They nearly did it. But no, something was wrong on the way. _Since when?_ Shannon helplessly reflected. Perhaps things were just wrong at the very beginning and she was too blind or simply refused to look deeper…

While the inner turmoil swirled inside her head, Shannon was unaware that she was humming along with the tune. Staring straight into the road, she did not notice that Legolas was looking at her all along.

After a few more songs which Shannon could not recall what had been played as she was too absorbed in her own melancholy, they finally arrived their destination. She parked her car at the driveway, got off and helped her guest off the car. He took in the detail of her house and the neighborhood, and followed Shannon into her house.


	3. Technology improves communication

**Writer's Notes:**

Hello! Here comes chapter three. I will keep updating a new one whenever I have finished one chapter ahead. Shannon and Legolas will still be struggling a while before they can communicate smoothly ;-)

 **Raider-K, Rita Orca, Alizes** **:** Thank you so much for your reviews and encouragement!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Tolkien's work, of course.

* * *

Chapter 3 - Technology improves communication

Shannon opened the door and waited as her guest walked slowly into the house, taking in every detail of his surrounding. When he finally entered the dimly lighted entryway, she took a peek out the street before quickly closing the door. She switched on the lights and noticed Legolas twitched when lights were coming out simultaneously from different directions. He narrowed his eyes curiously at the chandelier above. _Can lighting facilities be so different from his planet?_ Shannon watched as Legolas leaned his quiver and bow against a corner, then languidly walked towards the most prominent feature of her house.

The sunroom was two stories high, with four large full length glasses extending from floor way up to the ceiling. Through the glasses one could see the patio and back garden. As the house was built on top of a steep grade with entry point at the second level, the sunroom at the back oversaw the cascading landscapes with nearby low-rise houses sparsely populated down along the slope and across the horizon. At the furthest back one could see a long range of gray mountains. The nearest mountain was about an hour drive from her house, and its top was a famous local ski resort in winter. They lighted up the ski tracks all year round, and at night the tracks formed a glittery, silver y-shaped line when observed from afar. They looked like sparkling diamonds hanging on the mountain, or constellation as Shannon preferred to imagine. The sunroom consisted of a set of sofas, a large wooden tea desk and an electric fireplace, which served as a place for her parents meeting their guests formally. Since they both had moved to another country the sunroom had not been used since then.

Leaving Legolas gazing around Shannon turned towards the kitchen. One of the house rules taught by her mother was that tea must be served whenever a guest had stepped foot into the house. She was not even sure whether her guest would consume any human food, but still she felt obliged as hostess of the house and ambassador (self-appointed nevertheless) of planet Earth that she must show hospitality at her best.

She pulled out her teapot, cups and saucers, opting for pure white ceramics rather than her mother's fancy china with floral designs which were too feminine to her taste. She reviewed her collection of teas and went for the milder, soothing Chamomile. For snacks, she picked out her best selection of tea biscuits, and with a sudden thought she added a few assorted fruits she could find from her fridge. She carried everything on a tray and brought them carefully to the living room, which was smaller than the sunroom but cozier and equipped with television.

Legolas was still standing in the sunroom, looking out thoughtfully into the darkness. Shannon quietly approached him, cleared her throat to draw his attention, and said, "Legolas," he turned to her slightly, "Would you want to come over and have some tea?"

Shannon indicated him to follow her, and to her relief without needing further explanation he followed her into the living room. He glanced at the food on the table and looked up to her. Shannon could not depict the emotions from his look, but she continued to play as the nice hostess, smiled politely and showed him the armchair beside her. He seemed to understand more her body language by now and obediently sat down. She followed suit and started pouring tea into their cups. His eyes followed every movement of her and she felt a little pressured as if she was performing a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. She tried hard not to tremble when she lifted her cup.

"This is called tea. Tea. Please try."

She assured him these were edible by sipping her tea, elaborately held up a biscuit and looked at him while taking a bite. She silently prayed that the eating culture of her guest was not too far off from hers, hoping at least she had not done anything offensive to him unconsciously. As far as she knew, at least on Earth as concerned, dining with someone was considered a friendly gesture in almost all culture.

Legolas gave her a genuine smile, said something and inclined his head a little. His movement was so elegant and patrician that reminded her of princes from fairy tales. He then picked up his cup, paused a little before taking a sip. The corner of his mouth turned up a little more, nodded to her while saying a more few words, then took another sip. _He liked it! And he can drink tea!_ Shannon was cheered up instantly by his approval.

Their midnight tea session continued in silence. The gears in her head kept racing, trying to open up casual conversation with her newly met friend with no knowledge of his language and background. She concluded that after learning each other's name, the next basic question should be where he resided. She glanced at the coffee table at the other side of the room and got an idea.

"Excuse me for a second." She crossed the room and came back with an iPad in her hand. She showed it to him and explained, "This is our computer. Surely you've got something similar but way more advanced than this I believe?" She switched it on and earned another jerk and surprised look from her guest. Her fingers quickly did a few quick swipes, found the app and opened Google Earth. The screen immediately showed a picture of the Earth floating in space.

"This is Earth, the planet where we are on now. You recognized it, right?" she asked hopefully while turning the image of the Earth slowly around with her finger. Legolas looked at it blankly, with no indication he was following or not.

"Erm…", she continued, "This is the country we are in now. Canada." She zoomed in and showed him the space view of her country. She took a glimpse of his face, still devoid of emotion.

"Okay... And this is where we are at now," she pressed the arrow button and the screen slowly zoomed in till a bird view of her house was displayed.

"My house. Shannon's house." She said while moving her arm around, indicating her house. "House," she repeated a few times more, pointing here and there around the house to stress her point.

Something seemed to click in his head and Legolas pointed the house on screen. "House. Shannon." He pronounced carefully and then move his arm gesturing the surrounding, "House. Shannon."

"Yes! Shannon's house," she nodded and beamed. She continued to show him on screen the field where they had met, then moved along the roads where she drove and landed back to her house. This time he seemed to be following. Shannon applauded silently to herself. He listened to her with great attention, seeming to try to absorb every word she spoke to him. She further showed him how to move around the landscape, zoom in and zoom out, and then let him explore the app himself. He moved around countries and continents, tracing the coastline of Europe a little longer than the others, and slowly a small frown was set on his face and his enthusiasm turned to concern. Shannon felt that he was trying to identify something but unsuccessful.

Legolas finally put down the iPad carefully on the table, turned to Shannon and asked something in a serious tone. Knowing he must explain himself more clearly, he pointed to the tip of his ears and then to himself and said, " _Edhel_." He then pointed to her ears, motioned a small arch to emphasize its roundness, and said, " _Adan._ "

He repeated his actions again, each time stressing the different shape of their ears and the words _edhel_ and _adan_. Shannon knitted her brows and concentrated. She believed that he was trying to highlight their physical differences and put a name to it. She searched around and grabbed a magazine with male and female models as cover, pointing to the models and then to herself and said, "You mean we are… eh… _adan_? And you," she pointed to him, "You are _edhel_? Alien is called _edhel_ in your language? No you won't call yourself an alien." She muttered and tried again.

"We are _adan_ ," pointing to herself and the models, and then pointed to him and continued, "And you are _edhel_?"

Legolas gave an approving nod and Shannon clasped her hands with joy. " _Edhel_ ," he proceeded and indicated towards the Earth on screen, repeating some sentences incomprehensible to her again. _This is a vague one_.

Shannon still tried, "You mean where are the other _edhel_? Or have I seen _edhel_ before? Or are there other _edhel_ here on Earth? Sorry, no to all the above, or I just don't get your question correctly."

She shook her head and replied sadly. He looked slightly disappointed, and Shannon was not sure it was towards herself or her answers. He stared at the screen for a moment more and than stood up abruptly. He inclined his head, said a few words and turned towards to the main entrance. It was obvious this time that he had excused himself and planned to leave.

"Wah wah… What? Wait!" She scrambled up and grabbed his arm tightly. He lowered his gaze onto her hands, she followed his gaze and then freed his arm immediately with embarrassment.

"Sorry," she stuttered, "But… but where are you going? You can't wander around like this!" She said as she pointed to his clothes and dirk. He turned towards her and frowned.

"Okay of course you are free to go wherever you want," she tried to sound a little tense, "But not everyone accept aliens… _edhel_...well like me." She dragged the last few words while thinking that _she_ was actually the weirdo.

"And there are police, they will catch you when you know you are _edhel_. It is not safe for you to just walk around like this."

Legolas kept staring at her. He stood patiently, listening to her without interrupting, but the determination in his eyes was clear that what Shannon was babbling would not be able to stop him.

"Okay.. wait here for a sec. Don't go, stay." Shannon backed away and hurriedly got her iPad. She must knock some sense to this alien, _edhel_ he called himself, that Earth was not a perfectly safe place for him to wander around. She browsed the Internet, pulled up images of police and showed him.

"These are police. Police. Armed _adan_." She pointed their weapons in picture and then pointed to his dirk. Legolas nodded slowly, his eyes fixed at the images of police in scrutiny.

"If they know you, _edhel_ , they will imprison you."

She quickly searched the word "imprison" and pulled out images of men behind bars. He immediately looked alarmed. Shannon grimaced and felt a little guilty. It seemed that she had successfully painted a rather negative image for the entire police force, though in reality they were actually protecting the society. _Way to go, ambassador of planet Earth_ , she chided herself.

Shannon knew she could not keep him in her house for long, not that she had the rights to do so anyways. If he wanted to go out she hoped at least he could blend in with normal men.

"Come," Shannon took his hand and pulled him towards the stairway. He didn't move but she urged him to follow. "Just follow me, please. I won't do you harm." She looked pleadingly at him and he relented.

They ascended the stairs and Shannon led him into her parents' suite. She then went to the dresser and tossed through its contents. She pulled out a pair of gray sweatpants and a faded dark t-shirt. She laid them down on the bed and turned to him.

"These are my dad's clothes." She pointed to his clothes and then to the clothes on the bed. Legolas picked up the t-shirt and looked at her puzzledly.

"Please change. _Adan_ 's clothes." He looked skeptically at them. She didn't wait for his response and started to walk out.

"I need to find something else. I'll be back in a minute. Okay?" She closed the door and headed to her room. She quickly ran through her drawers and after a while she found a plain, black scarf. She returned to her parents' room and before she could knock the door, the door swung open with Legolas standing in front of her, scowling slightly.

He was wearing the t-shirt and pants that she gave him. Under the slightly flimsy material, wide neckline and short sleeves, she observed that he held more muscles than she had imagined, with toned muscles lining his strong neck, prominent collarbone and broad shoulders. His figure was taut and masculine, resembling the trained bodies of martial artists. She knew her dad's long pants were way too short for him and she was relieved that this wasn't shown as he tucked the pants' leg openings into his long boots. She had seen his dad wearing these clothes numerous times, and he looked like… _dad_ , but Legolas rocked them like a supermodel. She was convinced that her supernatural guest would still shine when wearing just a potato bag.

"Now to hide your pointy ears, you can use this as headscarf," she demonstrated how to tie it on her hair and tugged the upper part of her ears into the scarf. Legolas slowly nodded as her intention dawned on him. He took the scarf and he swiftly tied it around his crown. Shannon looked at him up and down and gave him an approving look, which he echoed back with an amused smile.

He turned to the doorway and this time Shannon did not stop him, although when he tried to pick up his bows and arrows at the main entrance she did persuaded him not to. Despite with hesitation he did obliged and left his weapons there. He inclined his head, said something which she would guess as a thank you or goodbye, and went into the street.

"Goodbye." Shannon said softly but she thought he was now too far away to be able to catch it, and kept looking at his back until he disappeared into the shadows.


	4. Establishment of Temporary Station

**Writer's Notes:**

Raider-K : I really like writing about their language barrier =) Regarding troubles, it probably causes more problems on Shannon's side who tries to fit Legolas into her society, while Legolas just… not caring much about fitting or not.

Silk Leaf : Thanks! When they can communicate better they will definitely start sharing information at some point on how he may end up there.

Guest : Thank you very much for your review!

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Tolkien's work, of course.

* * *

Chapter 4 - Establishment of Temporary Station

When Shannon woke up in the next morning, the first thing she did was running to her parents' bedroom. Inside the empty room, a set of forest green and brown tunic and pants were neatly folded on the bed.

"It wasn't a dream afterall," she murmured while caressing the soft materials. She listlessly headed back to her own bathroom and started her morning rituals. As she prepared for her shower, her mind kept replaying with what had happened yesterday, still amazed by the extraordinary encounter with her _edhel_. With her mind cleared up more by the jasmine scented bathing soap, she started to put more thoughts on the lingering feeling since yesterday that something was a bit off about this _edhel_.

She had quickly, if not rashly, assumed him as an alien due to his non-human traits, however he did not fit in the other aspects of it. First and foremost, he seemed shocked by all the human technologies that he encountered. At first Shannon thought he was just surprised on how behind human were compared to his, but if she was more honest to herself, she thought his reaction fitted more like someone who had no experience in technology at all; he looked truly astonished with something as simple as a light bulb. _An alien could not be dazed by a single light bulb_ , Shannon thought as she was drying her hair, _but what made of him then_? The closest word she could find to describe him now was supernatural. _Supernatural_ , Shannon shook her head silently, _something even more mystical than alien that science could not explain_.

Logically she knew she should be more cautious towards him, or even better, kept a safe distance from him. He was utterly suspicious and could be extremely dangerous with his physical prowess. _And he actually did carry weapons around_ , she reminded herself. On the other hand, however, she admitted that she was drawn to him. His far too good appearance was of course hard to ignore, but what intrigued her most was the mystery that he embodied. He was like pebble being thrown into a still pond, rippling her smooth, mundane life with ripples of risks and excitement. _Blame Marcus_ , she thought bitterly, _he did have bad influence on me after all_.

She descended to the living room, switched on the television and flipped to the news channel. She paid attention to the tickers on local news headlines and found no mentioning of social chaos caused by some mysterious man with gleaming silver blond hair. Shannon believed either Legolas ran deep into the forest or he had the sense of keeping a low profile and avoided showing-off his crazy ninja moves in public. Shannon started to wonder if he would ever come back to her again. _Wow stop there. Now I sound like an insecurity girlfriend, s_ he snorted.

 _Knock. Knock._

 _Did someone just knock at the door?_ Shannon thought to herself as she stared at the main entrance doubtfully. _Why not using the doorbell? Unless_ …. She stood up with anticipation.

 _Knock. Knock._

Shannon ran to the door, opened it and found Legolas standing there. Tall and handsome as ever, he looked straight at her with a small smile on his face.

"Good morning," she smiled back with a sigh of relief escaped from her.

"Good morning," Legolas replied, his lips turned slightly upwards as she stood agape.

"You can speak English now?" she exclaimed.

"..." Legolas cocked his head to one side, showing he could not follow what she said.

"Okay… Well anyways, come in!" she moved back and urged him into the house.

She checked the street outside before closing the door. The street was still deserted as usual, which meant that no police or media had discovered him yet. She glanced at him and noticed him observing her slightly paranoid behaviour.

"Need to beware of police," she smiled weakly at him. He seemed to understand her concern over the word "police" and nodded solemnly.

Shannon led him to the breakfast table at the kitchen and made tea for themselves. She was eager to learn about his little adventure since leaving her house, but she did not know how to start the conversation. When she was back with their tea, Legolas was asking for something of a rectangular shape.

"Oh! You want to use the iPad?" she went quickly and retrieved it. She opened Google Earth and handed it over to him. Legolas then maneuvered the maps expertly and showed her the roads and streets he had walked through since his absence. According to what he showed, he actually travelled a great deal and even reached the downtown area, which was more than fifteen kilometres away, and then way up back to her doorstep.

"You walked all the way? Walked?" she motioned her two fingers back and forth imitating the walking motion and he nodded.

"Walked," he replied with slight accent.

"Did you find any of your people? _Edhel_?" she continued. Legolas looked slightly disheartened and shooked his head.

"So… that is a 'no' then? No _edhel_?" she shook her head while pointing to the screen.

"No." Legolas replied dejectedly.

They fell in silence and let the revelation sank in. Shannon slowly drank her tea as she took a peek of him. He was drowned in deep thoughts and a hint of distraught flickered in those beautiful eyes. _He was completely lost_ , she pondered and empathized with him.

She knew she was attracted by this mysterious being. No matter who this stranger/alien/ _edhel_ or whatever he was, she could feel his gazes on her were genuine. She was positive that he was mentally stable and no ill intentions or mischievousness could be detected from him. In fact, if he did want to do her any harm, there were plenty of chances he could take from the moment she brought him into her house. Despite of their language barrier, he had carried himself as a perfect gentleman.

She did not know how to help him to get back to where he belonged, but at least she was capable of providing a temporary shelter and helping him settle down easier. _This is madness_ , she reflected. _Recklessness can indeed be addictive_.

She stood up and went to fetch Legolas' quiver and bow. She came back with them and he looked at her in bewilderment. "Come," she asked him to follow her upstairs and brought him to the guest room beside her own. The room with en-suite bathroom carried the same modern design as the rest of the house, with dark timber floor and window frames contrasted with white-washed walls and ceiling. A queen sized platform bed with light gray beddings and blueish green decorative pillows was placed at the middle against wide windows. The rest of the room was properly furnished with matching dressers, desk and chair. The only decoration were a set of framed photos hanged on the wall opposite to the bed, featuring some lush forest floors.

She put down the quiver and bows gently beside the reading table. She went out and came back with his tunic and pants. She put them on the bed and faced him again.

"Legolas can stay here," she indicated the guest room, "In Shannon's house." She could not find words to elaborate more her proposal, so she just stood there and prayed that her actions and honesty in her eyes could be enough to convey her message.

Legolas stood still for a whole minute while Shannon forced herself not to fidget as she waited anxiously for his reply. Finally his face slowly broke into a dazzling smile, so pure and beautiful that she wished to capture it permanently with a camera. He inclined his head and said something politely.

"I bet you mean thank you," Shannon laughed, "Well, you are welcome." And she returned him a curtsey.

"Now," she announced, beaming at him, "We've got lots of shopping to do!"


	5. Shopping Spree (I)

**Writer's Notes:**

Raider-K : Yes the shopping scene is easy and fun to write =)

Alizes : Nice idea! Shannon and Legolas will surely need to rely on other tools to help their communication for some time more.

Guest : Unlike the reserved maidens from Middle Earth, Legolas will have hard time to get used to the bold fangirls in our society. In fact he will never get used to it at all. LOL.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Tolkien's work, of course.

* * *

Chapter 5 - Shopping Spree (I)

Fifteen minutes later they were already inside Shannon's car, heading towards Birkdale Shopping Centre which was located south-west of her house and a few kilometres above downtown. It was the largest shopping centre in the city with hundreds of stores from mid-ranged to luxuries, and a rich mixture of retailers for apparels, home and furnishing, jewelries, books and technologies. It was a vibrant place and a convenient getaway for normal weekends from her hectic work.

Shannon grinned as she recalled Legolas' earlier reaction when he saw her reappeared from her room in her blue, floral open-shoulder dress. When he glanced down her bare legs he quickly diverted his gaze, muttering something under his breath. Her form-fitting dress flared from her waist and ended a few inches above the knees, rather short but perfectly acceptable especially for a nice summer day, but her companion obviously disagreed. Afterwards whenever he turned to her he kept his gaze strictly above her neck. _Was he really from some medieval world?_ _Perhaps someday I shall take him to the beach._ Shannon thought cheekily.

It was Saturday morning and Shannon was glad they arrived earlier than lunch peak hours as she could still find a parking space relatively easy. They got off the car, crossed the huge outdoor parking lot and she had to practically drag Legolas through the mall's glass doors as he seemed entranced by the huge, conglomerate structure of building blocks and glass walls.

Once they entered the mall, Shannon took Legolas' arm and pulled him through walkways. It took more effort than she had expected as his head kept looking around in boyish wonder, but finally they managed to reach their first destination: an Italian restaurant. She decided to start their day of intensive shopping with a good, filling brunch. They walked to the reception and when the hostess caught sight of Legolas, her face lightened up and gazed upon him as if admiring the most magnificent thing in the world. Shannon was not surprised by her reaction at all.

"Table for two, please," she told the hostess.

"Booths or tables?" the hostess asked dreamily, her eyes still fixing on Legolas, who kept looking at Shannon instead.

Shannon took a glance at the tables inside and said, "Booth, preferred the one at the back corner, please."

"Sure. This way." The hostess gave Legolas a wide smile and led them to the booth at the far back of the restaurant. Shannon picked the seat facing the rest of the tables and Legolas sat opposite to her. Within seconds a young waitress appeared beside their table, putting down two menus.

"Hello, I'm Macy," she said in high-pitched voice, her eyes kept battering at Legolas who was again looking at Shannon, "Can I start you off with anything to drink?"

"Water is fine," Shannon answered bluntly. She resigned quickly that she would be treated as transparent as long as she was beside Legolas.

"No problem," Macy winked at him, swayed her hips and walked away. Shannon sighed exasperatedly and looked at him. He looked absolutely unfazed by the attention he gained from the female _adan_. She appreciated that at least he kept focusing on her all the way long so that she did not feel like a fool.

"This is called a menu," Shannon said as she handed it to him, "You can pick what you like to eat." She flipped through the pages, pointing to each picture and patiently taught him the names in English. The main reason why she picked this restaurant was because they had these colourful illustrations of dishes in their menus which would help her to explain with him. After going through the menu, Legolas flipped the pages back to the salad page and pointed at it.

"You want Chicken Caesar Salad? Just salad will do?" she asked dubiously and he confirmed with a nod. She wondered if he would have enough for his body which looked well over six feet tall, especially after a night long strolling/hiking. She was a meat person and would like to go for a steak, but if her gorgeous acquaintance chose to nibble on salad only she felt self-conscious and rather went for something lighter instead.

Macy the waitress reappeared in perfect timing, pouring water into their glasses and eyes only on Legolas. He in return looked only at Shannon, waiting for her to order. Shannon looked at Macy. _We are forming this weird triangular staring contest again._

"We are ready to order," she told Macy, "What is the soup of the day?"

"Tomato Basil," Macy answered without giving Shannon a glance.

"Okay..." Shannon rolled her eyes, "For the gentleman he would like to start with a Tomato Basil Soup, and for main course he would like to have Chicken Caesar. I would have the soup as well and a Sausage Casarecce." Macy repeated their order and finally took her leave, not without a great deal of suggestive winks towards him.

Apart from annoying waitresses their food was nice and Shannon took every opportunity to teach Legolas English by naming all objects they came across. When she tried to teach him basic dining etiquette he not only imitated her impeccably, but with more refinement and an air of aristocracy. She wondered their culture, at least with regard to dining culture, were not that different after all.

By the end of their meal, she ordered a tea and a coffee and let Legolas picked first. Legolas eyed curiously at the coffee and took a sip. His eyebrows raised and Shannon could not depict it meant he liked it or not. No matter what his preference was he did not show and duly finished the whole cup.

When they were done it was already past noon and the mall was a lot more crowded than before. Shannon led Legolas through the walkways without stopping, trying to ignore the gasps and sighs from all the female they past by and even a few whistles from some random male along the way. Legolas, as usual, looked perfectly unperturbed.

They finally reached the men apparel store that Shannon had picked for its down-to-earth design, fine quality while not overly priced. As they stepped into the store they were immediately surrounded by at least three sales assistants, all swooning over Legolas. He was again looking at Shannon only, but with a slight frown on his face. Shannon sighed internally and came to his rescue.

"Sorry he doesn't speak English," Shannon explained and tugged him away from the overly attentive sales. She tried to distance themselves from the sales assistants as they walked along the aisles. She then showed him various pants and tops, but all he said to her was "No thank you" without giving a glance at the clothes at all. At first she thought he did not like the style she picked, but soon she realized that he did not want any clothes from her. She insisted he picked some for himself and reluctantly he started to skim through the pile of clothes she picked out for him. Remembering his original clothes, she deliberately selected those with simpler design and natural tones. For her own preference though she threw in a few with darker shades and edgier design. In the end he ignored her preference and opted for the more practical ones.

Shannon gathered those that he picked and her eyes swept across the sales assistants who were waiting eagerly nearby. One of them dashed upon her and beamed, "May I help you?"

"Yes. The gentleman would like to try on these. Can you please get him the right size?"

"Sure! What size does he wear?" the sales assistant eyed hungrily up and down Legolas.

"I… don't know." Shannon hesitated, "Can you please take his measurement?"

"Of course!" the sales assistant answered cheerily as if receiving an early Christmas present. She took out her measuring tape and started to take measurement from Legolas, kept praising how perfect his figure was. Legolas obediently let her do the job while looking boredly at Shannon. A while later the sales assistant came back with the suitable size of their clothes. She then led them to the changing room and opened the door for him. Legolas looked back and forth between the pile of clothes and the room and firmly said, "No."

"Please," Shannon tried to persuade him and he replied by shaking his head. Shannon sighed and from the pile of clothes she picked a top and a pair of pants and handed to him.

"Just try these out at least? If the size is okay we can just buy the rest," Shannon coaxed with the best puppy eyes she could make. Looking exasperatedly at her, he yielded and took the clothes from Shannon. Then one of his hand reached his back, pulled out something and handed it to her. She was caught off guard by the unexpected weight dropping onto her hands. She looked down and glared at it.

It was his dirk. With its slender, gold-plated wooden hilt and elegantly decorated scabbard, it looked lavish yet lethal. Before she could shout or squeal anything he turned away swiftly and disappeared into the changing room.

"Is that a dagger?" the sales assistant enquired hesitantly.

"..."

Shannon took mental note to herself that she must do a weapon check next time she left the house with him.


	6. Shopping Spree (II)

**Writer's Notes:**

Part 2 of the shopping episode. It was so much fun writing these episodes that I could go on and on, but I know I have to put a stop before boring everyone off ;-) I want to write Legolas' early days on Earth a bit longer because those are the rare moments when we get to see an elf totally "out of himself", unlike what we perceive elves in Middle Earth. I hope I can bring out a more boyish, curious Legolas here, with the experience and knowledge he has accumulated for millennium all come to nil. However when he settles on Earth more he will find that men, at their core, aren't that different from what he used to see in his days after all...

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Tolkien's work, of course.

* * *

 **Chapter 6 - Shopping Spree (II)**

The sales assistant kept glaring at the dirk in Shannon's hands. Shannon dreaded she must come up with a good explanation before the sales assistant fled and called the police.

"Errr…. yeah… it's fake though," Shannon tried to suppress her panic and gave a nervous laugh. "He… he was asked by the director to carry it around and get familiar with it. He is an actor, you know…" Shannon started to sweat. She was a horrible liar.

"He is an actor? I knew it! How could he not be?" a sales assistant, who had obviously been eavesdropping all along, blurted out from behind.

"Why don't I recognize him? I surely won't forget such a handsome face!" the other sales assistant joined in.

"Emm… he was from another country…" Shannon weakly explained.

"Which country?"

 _I don't know._ "It's confidential. He has to keep a low profile for now," Shannon continued to defend her story. "We do not want to risk and expose him to the media yet."

"So you are his manager?"

 _Sort of._ "...Yes."

"What film is he taking?"

 _No film._ "We cannot reveal yet."

"Does he have girlfriend?"

 _I want to know too._ "We cannot answer personal questions."

"What's his name?"

 _I don't want to tell you._ "I cannot tell."

"Can we just take a photo?"

"No."

"..."

"..."

As if sensing the growing tension outside, Legolas came out from the changing room just in time, freeing Shannon from further embarrassment. The new top and pants fitted better than her dad's, clinging all to the right places accentuating his gracious figure. Shannon was relieved all attention was drawn away from her again and told the drooling sales assistants that he would wear those clothes away and asked them to pack the rest of the selected items. When Legolas asked for his dirk back Shannon plainly refused.

While the sales assistants were busy packing Shannon walked quickly to the accessories section. She picked a few socks and then stared and blushed at the various men's underwear hanging beside her. She had no idea his preference or size, and no way was she going to ask him either. She randomly grabbed half a dozen of free size briefs and went swiftly back to cashier, stuffing them under their pile of clothes.

After Shannon paid and walked out of the store, Legolas took the bags smoothly from her hands. She tried to take back some of them but he insisted. _Always a gentleman_ , she mused as they continued down the walkway.

Their next stop was a watch store. Ever since Shannon had decided to take Legolas in as her long-term houseguest, she had been devising plans on getting him settle better into her world. Apart from crossing the language barrier, she believed that it was essential for him to cope with, or at least to understand, the rhythm of her society. In plain words, she wanted him to learn how to read time. Like most people nowadays, she just read the time from her cell phone, but for Legolas she thought it would be nice to start learning from a basic watch.

They entered the store and Legolas' eyes curiously scanned around the different devices whose functions would still be a mystery to him. Shannon was thankful that the sales assistant here was a lot more restrained; he still stared at them oddly but at least he could stick himself at a far corner without disturbing them. She walked through display cases, skipping all with glittering gems and metals, and stopped when she saw a watch with both strap and case made of dark wood.

"Excellent choice. It will suit your friend well." The sales assistant said politely as he carefully approached them. "It is made of ebony and walnut, stainless steel clasp, 1.7 inches in diameter with Japanese quartz movement." He further explained as he took it out and handed to her. It felt light in her hand and she could smell a faint wooden scent.

"Legolas," she turned around to him, took his left hand and clasped it around his wrist. _It does fit him_ , admired Shannon.

"No," Legolas protested but Shannon held his hand tighter.

"You would need it, trust me." She assured him and turned to the sales assistant, "I will take this one."

"Thank you. Would you like to engrave message at the back?"

"No, no need," Shannon replied quickly. Gifting him a watch could still be counted as a friendly gesture, but with message engraved would make it far too personal. She did not know what to put in the message anyways. "Welcome to Earth" would sound more like sarcasm to him.

They visited a few more stores, with each visit the number of bags increased and Legolas stood firm in taking all the bags himself. As they walked along, he halted suddenly and stared at a videos and games store. Shannon followed his gaze and landed on the large plasma TV displaying a demo on a latest role playing game. With male characters in flamboyant, flashy armours and female characters in provocative, flimsy gowns, she guessed the game was set on some pseudo-ancient, fantasy world. Shannon could feel that Legolas tensed up as the CG characters slashed some gruesome monsters relentlessly. His jaw clenched tightly and glared distastefully at the screen.

"Legolas?" Shannon looked at him warily, "Those are not real." She lightly put her hand on his shoulder, hoping to sooth him a bit. He slowly tore his gaze away from the screen and followed her down the walkway.

The merriment of their previous shopping was all gone, with Legolas fell completely silent and lost in his thoughts. Shannon could not blame him for his sudden mood swing. The game probably had reminded him something about his homeland, or the fact that he was far, far away from it. _How can he get back? Or is it possible at all?_ She worried for him. They continued to walk in silence for a while until Shannon pulled him to a stop.

"Wait, come over," she gently tugged his arm and directed him to a frozen yogurt shop.

"It's called frozen yogurt. Fro-zen yo-gurt." She repeated the words as he looked up at the various colourful pictures of fruits and yogurt. She then ordered two cups of yogurt with toppings. She held the cups and indicated him to walk towards the nearby bench. When Legolas hands were finally free she gave him his cup.

"Try it, it is delicious! I bet you won't have this at your home," she beamed at him and encouraged him to try. Legolas scooped a little and tasted it. His eyebrow shot up a fraction and nodded slightly.

"It IS good, right? Told you!" Shannon laughed happily and took a spoonful for herself. "Ohhhh you've got to try my topping. Mine was caramel with peanuts, it tastes better than I thought!" She took his spoon, scooped up a spoonful with lots of caramel and handed back to him. He took it hesitantly and slowly put into his mouth. The roasted caramel and nuts complimented well with each other, and a small smile crept back onto his face. Shannon grinned even wider. Her mom was right; dessert could work wonders at times.

Legolas studied her quietly as she busied herself with the yogurt. She finally felt his gaze and looked up at him questionably. His gaze was gentle, with gratitude shown evidently in his eyes. Shannon's heart raced but could not tore her eyes off him.

"Thank you, Shannon," he said softly to her and she nodded silently. They lacked a common vocabulary reservoir to express themselves, but Shannon felt they had gradually established some kind of rapport. Reclining to peaceful silence, they continued with their yogurt in quiet contentment.


	7. Crash Course on Modern Days Survival

**Writer's Notes:**

Hello everyone! Thank you for your comments and following this story so far! We finally get to the end of Legolas initial struggle (well, a rather short one as I am a bit too easy on him) and can start to get to the main plot starting from next chapter! Yay! ^0^

I have already chapter 13 typed up, and hopefully can keep up with updating every week. My work may get busier again in the Fall so I will try to stock up as many chapters as I can for now. Don't forget to review after each chapter!

 **Guest** : Thanks for the correction!

 **Raider-K** : The elf's great look definitely helped to make Shannon's story more convincing ;-)

 **soph_likes_marvel** : (Sorry I don't know why I can't save the '.' in your name) I do hope to keep up with the regular update!

 **TheRadiantFire** : I love 'fallen into Middle Earth' stories, but I always feel it hard to find a logical way to hook up an elf with a normal mortal girl. That actually triggers my idea of having the elf entering our world instead.

 **Wicked** : The elf is a quick learner =) He can survive, but whether he likes our world is another question.

 **misslesmis13** : Thank you and happy to know you enjoy the read =)

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Tolkien's work. Oh, but I do own Randy the Bear.

* * *

 **Chapter 7 - Crash Course on Modern Days Survival**

When they returned home the sun was about to set. Shannon told Legolas to leave their bags at the sunroom as she headed towards the kitchen to prepare for supper. She was not a great cook like her mother, but a decent one enough to allow herself not having to live off with frozen food. She pulled out from her fridge salmon fillets, assorted fresh herbs, carrots and spinach. She was going to make herbal crusted salmon with sautéed carrots and spinach as side, a rather simple yet delicious dish, hoping to make a good first impression on her houseguest. As she started to peel the carrots, Legolas, who had been standing quietly beside her, gestured her to pass him the knife and carrot.

"You want to help?" Shannon asked incredulously, "You know how to do it?" Legolas did not reply, his hands still hovered in the air waiting for her.

Shannon slowly passed him her knife and carrot. Before she started giving him specific instructions, Legolas moved the knife along the carrot with such swiftness and precision that she thought she was watching some chefs from Le Cordon Bleu. While she stood and stared in awe, he had already peeled and chopped in speed triple of hers, with carrots all cut into perfection. When he finished, he turned to the herbs and looked at her inquiringly. She suspected she saw certain smugness in his seemingly neutral face. She nodded dumbfoundedly and worked on her salmons instead. With some minor help from Shannon on how to turn on the stove and where to find the seasoning, Legolas proved himself to be a very capable cook. When he finished cooking he took a small piece and gave to Shannon for tasting.

"Good?" he asked expectantly.

"...Very good," she grudgingly replied and suspected that his cooking was probably better than hers. Her plan of impressing her male guest with food had turned unfavourably around. She was sure this time that there was a smirk on his face.

After supper Shannon brought Legolas some fresh towels and his newly bought clothes up to his room and showed him the facilities of his bathroom. She had explained each item's function in great detail except for the toilet bowl. She just hastily showed him how to flush the toilet and then excused herself out, hoping that he did not catch her blushing.

It was still quite early in the night and Shannon started to show Legolas the things she had bought for him during the day. She pulled out the most expensive item amongst all: a complete set of English learning materials for toddlers to preschoolers, including DVDs, picture books, flashcards and talking pen. She recalled how the old bookstore owner wavered glances fondly between her and Legolas and reassured Shannon that this English set would be a worthwhile investment for their (a.k.a. Shannon and Legolas) coming baby. Shannon ignored Legolas inquisitive gaze at her as her face turned beetroot red and declined the thought of explaining to the owner that the colourful picture books were to be used by the said grown-up male instead.

Shannon showed Legolas how to turn on the television and played the DVD, and she left him watching the TV in sheer fascination while she sat back and checked her company's emails from her iPhone. Occasionally she would peek up and saw him concentrating at cartoon characters on screen. She grinned at the extraordinariness of the scene before her: a gorgeous male wearing casual room wear in her living room, sitting up straight and watching attentively as the cartoon characters sang the ABC song.

Their intensive crash course on modern days survival continued to the next day. They started with a nice breakfast prepared together, with Shannon trying to nurse her slightly bruised ego by flaunting her pancake-flipping skills after witnessing Legolas cracking eggs one-handedly. Over the breakfast he further astounded her by his great progress in English. Either the English set was really worth its money or Legolas was exceptionally intelligent with photographic memory, he could already communicate with her using single words.

After breakfast they drove to the nearby supermarket. Like a mother teaching her child how to do grocery shopping, Shannon painstakingly showed him every detail including how to pick items out from the shelf, put them into basket, line up at cashier and pay in cash. By the end of their shopping, Shannon felt like a proud mother seeing her son (a way overgrown one) being able to do his first groceries.

In the afternoon she taught him the basics of Arabic number system. From one of the bags she pulled out a toy clock with movable hour, minute and second hands. After great deal of gesturing, referencing to his wrist watch, the calendar in iPad and the toy clock, Shannon believed she managed to get him understand the fundamental concepts of reading a clock and calendar. She pushed further to test his newly attained mathematical skills.

"How old are you?" Shannon asked. She was pretty sure this specific sentence was covered by one of the picture books.

Legolas tilted his head as if doing calculation in his head and answered, "I am two thousand nine hundred and eighty-eight years old."

"No, no, no." Shannon exhaled, "I am asking YOU, Legolas. How old are you?"

"Two thousand nine hundred and eighty-eight," he answered without hesitation.

"I mean your age, Legolas," Shannon reminded herself to be patient as he had been an exemplary student so far. "See, I am twenty-eight years old." She explained and wrote the number on the paper. Then she grabbed one of the picture books and pointed to a red teddy bear on the cover. "Randy the Bear, is four years old," she wrote the number four on the paper and pointed to the bear again, who she remembered singing the "How old are you?" song in the DVD and proclaimed himself as four. "How old are you, Legolas?" she asked as if talking to a toddler in playgroup.

"Two thousand nine hundred and eighty-eight."

Shannon's shoulders slumped in defeat and decided to drop this conversation until he gained better command in English. Surprisingly it was Legolas who wanted to press on. "I am," he asserted, "I am _edhel_ , not _adan_. _Edhel_ are… bigger than _adan_." He frowned as he could not find a better word to express himself.

"Bigger?" Shannon pondered awhile, "You mean _edhel_ lives longer than _adan_?"

"Lives longer," Legolas repeated and banked the new vocabularies into his memory. When he saw her apparently not convinced, he looked down at the large, polished oak tea table in front of them and started to clear away the contents on it.

"What are you doing?" Shannon gave him a perplexed look but Legolas did not reply. After clearing the items from the table, while still in sitting position, his casually moved his hand to the side of the table and lifted the table high up above his shoulder as if lifting an apple. Shannon's jaw dropped to the floor. She was sure this huge solid wood table weighted well over a hundred pounds.

"I am _edhel_ , not _adan_ ," he continued to prove his point by starting to juggle the huge table single-handedly, tossing and twirling it like a tennis ball.

"Okay, okay! I got it! Put it down!" she squeaked. Gently and effortlessly, he put the table down back onto the rug. Shannon put one hand over her heart, trying to calm her significantly quickened heartbeat. Logically she knew he was not human, but after spending a day walking around together like a normal couple, she unconsciously treated him like one of her people. Now witnessing his power up close again, reality dawned heavily on her that he was anything but normal.

Their lesson continued after supper. From yesterday's shopping bags Shannon produced items that she thought he might need while she was away for work. She brought him a leather purse and put some bill notes in it, which as expectedly Legolas protested but she blatantly ignored, explaining to him that in human world one could not survive without money. She also gave him her spare key for the house, as she knew he would not stay docilely at home waiting for her.

Before she retrieved back to her room and called it a day, she made him promise again and again that wherever he went, he must not bring any of his weapons, avoid the police and must not jump over trees or rooftops. _I sound like a helicopter mom now_ , she yawned and thought to herself as she lied down on her bed and quickly fell asleep.


	8. Moonlight Ride

**Writer's Notes:**

Thank you everyone for following/reviewing Starlight Traveller! Both work and personal life start to get busy again. Fortunately I was able to stock up some chapters when I had more time during summer vacation. I'll try my best to keep updating weekly/bi-weekly. Please don't forget to review!

 **Legolas** : Thank you for your reviews! Happy to know you enjoy the story.

 **Guest** : I am glad that you find the story relatable, that is exactly what I am striving for in my story =)

 **Inabellclo** : Thanks~

 **TheRadiantFire** : I like to write about how Shannon tries to baby Legolas on everything. Such scenes will get more and more rare though as elves are all superb quick-learner.

 **Silk Leaf:** Haha I think it makes sense to write him good at cooking. Though in canon there is no mentioning about such skills and as a prince he must have a team of royal chefs serving him, but since he travels a lot with Ranger in the wild for years I think he must have acquired some basic culinary skills. And we can safely assume he can use a knife on everything like a pro LOL

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Tolkien's work, of course.

* * *

 **Chapter 8 - Moonlight Ride**

When Shannon arrived her office, her secretary Katherine greeted and briefed her the day's schedule. As one of the founding partners of a software company, Shannon's typical work day was filled with progress updates with team leaders, meetings with system architects, reading and approving tons of emails and documents. She founded the company along with two other friends a few years ago, quitting their corresponding high-paid jobs to chase their dreams and entered the computer game industry. Their initially small startup had proved to be an instant success. It had attracted a few renowned angel investors who were willing to invest handsome amount of money into their company, which within a few years had quickly expanded and became one of the most promising emerging software house in the country.

"What?" Shannon paused her reading and leered at her secretary, "His proposal got rejected again by Mr Colin?"

"Yes," Katherine flinched and replied carefully. "Mr Ferguson came back from London yesterday night. He said he will update you and Mr McCormick personally regarding the incident..." She trailed off as she saw Shannon seethed. While she was simmering there was a knock at the door and Katherine automatically answered it.

"Miss Fraser, it is Mr Ferguson." Katherine said timidly.

"Marvelous. What a great way to start the day!" Shannon vexed and stood up. Seeing her secretary shrunk even further, Shannon cleared her throat and steadied herself.

"Let him in. You can leave now, thanks Katherine," she dismissed her poor secretary in a softer tone. Katherine opened the door, let the visitor in and scurried out. Once the door was closed with a clear _click_ sound, her visitor turned to face her. He stood tall and smart in his tailor made blue suit, but signs of weariness was prominent on his well proportioned face.

"Shannon," said the visitor while pulling a chair for himself in front of her desk.

"Marcus," Shannon acknowledged tersely. Marcus Ferguson, once her best friend from high school through college and ex-fiance, was unfortunately also one of the founding partners of their company, along with their mutual friend Karl McCormick. After Shannon and Marcus' breakup, this workplace which was once a paradise to her had turned to hell overnight. For numerous times she had the urge to just pack and leave, selling her shares and leaving for good, but her competitive side stubbornly refused to cave in like a coward. She had lost miserably at the love frontier, and she could not afford to lose her career as well.

Shannon suppressed her annoyance and pulled up her most professional look.

"I heard that your meeting with Mr Colin didn't end well."

"Yes."

"And what caused it bungled this time?"

"The same recurring problem," he sighed, letting his curly chestnut fringes fell over his tired eyes. "He did not buy in the game's setting illustrations."

"You mean he didn't like the background setting, or the illustrations?" she looked at him sharply.

"Both," he admitted with another sigh.

"You know it is July already. Our newly hired programmers and architects have onboarded for a week without any real work to do. They are bleeding our account."

"I know. I know the project schedule by heart as I was the one drafting it. We would have been on schedule if that fickle old man didn't reject our designs in the last minute and threaten to withdraw his money." Marcus rubbed his face looking deflated.

Shannon felt a small pang of pity for him. She knew that he had been working ceaselessly to coax their major investor to put down the pre-agreed sum of money into their next major project, a multiplayer online role-playing game with a fantasy setting. They got the game frameworks ready and only needed a green light on the world design concept, and their programming and designing teams could then start their work. Mr Colin, their major investor, had promised them his investment after viewing their first design. Only a few months later just before he handed out his paycheck, he went back on his words and declared he felt irresolute about the prospect of the project as the game setting was not attractive enough. However they had kick-started their project with initial works already laid out, and it would definitely dent their company's reputation if they halted their project now and released their newly hired staff.

Shannon knew it would be pointless to grill Marcus now; they were practically on the same boat.

"What's next then?" she asked sounding less aggravated as before.

"You will continue to scrape any preparation work we can possibly do now for your teams, while I and Karl will continue to search for new chief designer."

Before Marcus took his leave, he turned hesitantly towards Shannon.

"Are you free for lunch today? We can do a quick catch up and…"

"No, got a phone call," she interjected. Marcus nodded, knowing her well enough that she would never hold phone calls during lunch, conceded and took his leave.

Shannon glared at his back as he disappeared behind the door. She could never understand how could he possibly thought she would be ready to be buddy-buddy with him again when the wounds of betrayal still fresh. She did not want to burden herself with hatred forever, but she was not sure if she could ever forgive him in her lifetime. _My short, pathetic span of life_ , Shannon mused, _how will Legolas think of my little love drama_?

It had been a week after her shocking revelation that her houseguest was much, _much_ older than her. Putting him in men's history timeline, he was equivalent of a living man who was born in the days of King David and King Solomon from the Old Testament, a millennium before the Christ was born. The thought of living with a being so ancient still sent goosebumps all over her. She had tried to pry more about the longevity of his people, and from what she could gather it seemed that these _edhel_ basically would not age nor die. They further discussed and eventually came up with a mutually agreed expression to that: immortal. She wondered how it would be like to live as immortal, whose concept was way beyond her imagination. She doubted if living a never ending life was a blessing or not. If she was granted immortality now, she would definitely branded it as a curse.

She shook her head slightly and stopped herself delving deeper into the melancholic spiral of thoughts. _Positive thinking,_ _positive thinking_ , Shannon kept chanting to herself. Her thoughts went back to her _edhel_ , and she reminded herself to pick up her gift for him on her way back home tonight.

During supper, Shannon announced that they would go out for a stroll after the meal, and Legolas chimed in a walk outside would be nice especially it was full moon tonight. When they went out to the driveway, Shannon opened the garage door and pulled out two bicycles. The pink one looked a bit tattered but still in relatively good condition, while the pure white urban bike looked brand new and nice. She pulled the white one to Legolas and asked him to hold onto it while she went back and retrieved two helmets in matching colour with the bikes.

"You know what are these?" Shannon asked like a teacher throwing sudden quiz to her student.

"These are bicycles."

"Correct," Shannon nodded approvingly, "Tonight you are going to learn how to ride your bicycle."

Legolas looked down to the bike, his hand traced its frame delicately.

"You don't have to," he said softly,

"I know you can walk a long distance without getting tired, but this," her hand patting on her bike, "Can bring you to places far away easier, and it is fun."

Shannon knew that while she was away for work during daytime, Legolas had been widely exploring their neighbourhood. He had visited the nearby street markets and shops a few times, but his favourite and most frequented places were the parks, botanical gardens and forests.

"I remember you said before that you rode horses back at home," she continued, "I cannot get you a horse and I can't let you drive since you don't have a driving license, so a bike is the closest thing I can have for you." Legolas was still looking down.

"You don't like riding one? Or you don't like the colour? I thought you said your horse was white so I picked white for the frame." Shannon started to worry she might have picked the wrong gift.

"No, I like it. A lot." Legolas looked up at her and moved to her closer, holding her gaze intently to make sure she could feel that he was genuine. "I have received many things from you already. I don't want you to…" he paused and tried to find the words from his still limited English vocabularies, "...use money on me."

"A simple 'thank you' will do," Shannon smiled gently to him. He looked at her contemplatively. His eyes softened a little and slightly inclined his head.

"Thank you."

Shannon beamed, "Let's start our lesson."

One by one she went through the various parts of the bike and their corresponding functions. When he got onto the bike, Shannon kept steadying it for him, instructed him to put his feet on the pedals and pushed forward. She had intended to guide him along slowly, but his bike moved much quicker than she had anticipated.

"Careful!" she shouted and tried frantically to catch his bike, but it glided forward swiftly and steadily. Shannon huffed as Legolas pedaled smoothly around ten yards, made a quick sharp turn and pedaled back with a clean stop a few inches in front of her.

"Tell me you had ride a bike before," she deadpanned.

"No. We have nothing like this in _ennor_." He had that smirk on his face again whenever Shannon tried to baby him something and turned out her attempts were absolutely superfluous.

"I start to find your _edhel_ 's ability pretty annoying," Shannon grumbled, "I had spent two days practising at the backyard before my dad allowed me to go onto the street. Now you need only two seconds."

Legolas laughed lightheartedly. It was the first real laugh Shannon had witnessed from him, and his soft rumbling resonated in the night like music. She wished she could see him laugh more.

"Let's go for a ride," Shannon got onto her bike, "Follow me and NO speeding!"

They rode silently through the quiet road, light summer breeze swirled gently past them. The roads were mostly deserted except for random cars occasionally zipping by. They stopped by a park with shrubs of osmanthus planted along the side, their tiny white flowers swayed and gave out a sweet, loving scent whenever touched by breaths of wind. They parked their bikes near the shrubs and found a soft pasture to rest on. Legolas was right; it was a full moon night.

"Is there a moon in _ennor_?" she asked as she lay down on the grass, gazing up at the pale moon.

"Yes, but the shadow is a little different."

"How about the stars?"

Legolas squinted as he scanned across the night sky. "Similar."

Shannon turned to look at him incredulously. "Does that mean _ennor_ is part of Earth?"

Legolas looked up longingly at the moon, "The sky looks similar, but everything on land is different." A shadow flickered across his face.

"Are there any stories about the moon in _ennor_?" Shannon blurted the question out in hope of diverting their conversion to somewhere merrier.

"Stories?"

"Yes," she sat up and turned to him, "We human have lots of stories about the moon. You heard of moon bunny before?" She put her hands above her head imitating the ears of a bunny.

"Bunny? There is a bunny on the moon?" He asked seriously with a tinge of humor in his voice.

"Well, not really, but in the olden days people in some countries thought the shadows on the moon resembled a bunny..." She continued to tell him different folklores that she had heard of about the moon, and later they moved onto the various constellations across the summer night sky. It was a bit hard to explain some concepts to him as his English was still limited, but with animated gesture and vivid expression Shannon was confident he could grasp most part of her stories. He seemed genuinely amused and promised someday he would share stories about the stars from his homeland.

Shannon used to love stargazing as it could instill tranquility and peace, but now she found that she was equally fond of, if not more, watching and discussing the stars with Legolas. _It was happier to share the joy with others than enjoying alone_ , Shannon recalled an old proverb saying, and she eagerly looked forward to their next stargazing session.

* * *

Sindarin-to-English Translation:

Edhel : Elf

Ennor : Middle-Earth


	9. Prince of Eryn Lasgalen

**Writer's Notes:**

Here comes another chapter, hope you will enjoy =) And thank you again for your reviews/favourites/follows. Please, please~ don't forget to review after reading!

 **TheRadiantFire :** Glad you enjoy the chapter! I like to seep in bits of Shannon/Legolas history little by little as the story unfolds.

 **Lucinda Silver :** We will surely discover how Legolas ends up on top of Shannon's car, but not so soon yet ;-)

 **Raider-K :** It is inevitable that her (or any other men's) ego will easily and frequently get dented by Legolas, no matter intentionally or not. So by including Shannon's working woman side in the story I hope we can see her other facets of character, like being confident, independent and capable.

 **Kristin :** Yes there are so many gaps to fill between our world and Legolas'. Some are more easy to accept, some can be ignored but not agreeable, some are just downright unbearable. Poor Legolas (sigh). And yes in my mind I always want to write a Legolas POV chapter, especially the first chapter when he was in near panic mode (lol)

 **Amanda :** Hope you enjoy this chapter =)

 **Mayasha-chan :** Thank you for your support! I have lots of fun writing about them as well ^0^

 **Disclaimer :** I do not own Tolkien's work, of course.

* * *

 **Chapter 9 - Prince of Eryn Lasgalen**

"Voilà!" Shannon pulled her bike to a stop and Legolas followed suit. He gazed upon the tall building in front of him, with its glasses and white walls gleaming under the bright summer sun.

"This is the Oakbridge Public Library," she proudly declared, "The biggest library in the city which has just finished its renovation this spring."

When Legolas told her he had finished reading all the materials from the English learning set she had purchased, her feeling was mixed. On one hand she was glad he could brush up his English in far greater speed than she had imagined, but on the other hand she lamented her investment only kept him busy for a less than a week. In order to satiate her _edhel_ 's imminent desire of learning, Shannon decided it was time to introduce to him the library.

Through the spiral glass door she led him to the ground floor, a ten-story atrium with floors forming asymmetric rings swirling up and around until they reached the glass rooftop. From the bottom of the atrium one could see escalators and glass lifts at different levels moving quietly and asynchronously, as if the building itself was a living creature breathing in its own rhythm. There were lots of indoor greens decorated on each floor, making the library looked more like a hanging garden. The serene and airy ambiance encouraged people to spend a good time of the day just to enjoy and relax here.

"I like this place," Legolas smiled and breathed in the scent of books and woods. Shannon inwardly did a small victory dance.

"This is the ground floor where you return books. But since you can't obtain a library card," she looked up at him a little apologetically, "You can only read the books inside the library."

"This is good enough," he grinned, "Can you show me around?" He then gave her his arm. She giggled and took his, "My pleasure."

The library was in fact huge, and it took them more than two hours to walk through each floor and section while Shannon showed him how the books were categorized and ordered. He might not know enough words to read all of them yet, but given his proven record as a super fast learner she knew he could utilize these books soon enough. Legolas was impressed how Shannon's people had expanded the breadth of knowledge of the world and delved in depth in each category.

"How about the men in _ennor_? Do they have libraries as well?" Legolas had mentioned that in his world there were men inhabited as well, but apparently with very different culture.

"They have. The largest one was in _Minas Tirith_ , but still no match with this one."

"How about your home? _Eryn Lasgalen_ , right?" Shannon pronounced the exotic words carefully but she knew her accent was still far off.

"We have," his eyes were delighted whenever he recalled facts about his homeland, "Similar in size to this library. It goes several floors down underground."

"An underground library? That sounds magnificent! I wished I could see it."

Legolas looked contemplative for a while. "I can draw for you."

"You can?" Shannon nearly jumped with joy.

"Yes. I am no painter but I can try." Legolas was amused with her enthusiasm.

"Great! I can't wait to see how your home looks like!" Legolas chuckled softly at Shannon's elated face.

"What?" She faltered a bit and pouted.

"You are really a child."

"I am a grown woman! In men's standard at least," Shannon disagreed.

"Still a small child to me," Legolas answered knowingly. Before Shannon argued back he added, "It is not a bad thing. The joy and innocence for life are short for men. For _edhel_ too."

Shannon dropped her argument instantly. _Sometimes he does sound like an old man_ , she thought. It were these moments that despite his youthful face she could feel their generation gap, a gulf so impossibly wide that she could only ponder and accept what he were, but probably would never be able to truly understand him.

As promised, later that day Legolas started to draw pictures about his homeland. Using Shannon's drawing pad and colour pencils (which she directly took from his father's study room), he drew pictures of _Eryn Lasgalen_. He chatted and explained each picture to her in detail while his hands kept on drawing expertly as if he made a profession from it.

"They are so beautiful." Shannon stared at the pictures, totally amazed.

"Yes they are." Legolas replied with fondness.

"The places are beautiful, and so are your drawings." Shannon gave him a sly look, "You said you are no painter."

"I am not. I am a soldier." He replied without turning his head. _That smirk again_ , she thought to herself.

"How did you learn to draw then?"

"My father had a tutor for me when I was small. I took some lessons for a while."

"Uh huh…" she narrowed her eyes, "And how long did you mean 'a while'?"

Legolas halted for a second, tilted his head and looked at her with borderline mischief in his eyes, "Around fifty years." She snorted and his grin grew wider.

They continued to discuss the pictures one by one. Shannon held up one and asked, "What is this place?"

"The place where the king sits."

"You mean a throne? Your country has king and queen?"

"Only the king now." Legolas voice was a fraction lower than normal but Shannon did not notice.

"Wow... you people are ruled by a king?" Shannon's interest shot up, "How's the king like? Any prince or princess?"

Legolas blinked and looked at her blankly.

"Is it… not appropriate to talk about them?" Shannon asked a bit nervously.

"It is fine to mention about the king and the prince," replied Legolas slowly. Shannon felt relieved she had not unintentionally trespass some _edhel_ 's taboo.

"Have you seen the king and the prince before? You said you are a soldier, have you got chances to see them up close?"

Legolas kept a straight face and replied calmly, "I see the prince whenever I look into the mirror."

Silence fell between them as they kept staring at each other. It was Shannon who broke the silence in the end. She tried to choke back her laughter unsuccessfully and fell back into the sofa in a laughing fit. Legolas looked at her expressionlessly.

"I don't expect you to be the flirting type!" Shannon was still giggling, wiping tears off from the corner of her eye, "That line would be an overkill for most people, but somehow you still make it sounds so wonderful and charming."

"You don't believe it," he stated rather accusingly.

She shook her head and tried to adjust her breath. "I don't know what is the chance of meeting someone from another world. But having someone from another world AND who also happens to be a prince of that world to drop on top of my car roof… I think it would be easier to win the Lotto ten times straight." Legolas smirked without answering. He decided that for his future entertainment he would let this misunderstanding unresolved for now.

"Can I keep some of them?"

"Of course. They can be all yours."

"Thanks!" Shannon smiled broadly and picked a few out. "Oh, can you sign on them as well?"

"Sign?"

"Yes. In my world artists will put their names on their works. You don't have to put your real name though, just some kind of signature to mark that these are created directly by you."

"Understood," Legolas held up his pencil, paused for a moment, and then signed at the corner of the picture. Shannon took it and inspected the words closely.

"Green… leaf? Greenleaf?" She looked up at him puzzledly.

"My name as translated in English."

"Legolas...Greenleaf," Shannon remarked and looked back to the pictures, "It's a nice name. And it suits you."

That night Shannon dreamed of a sea of trees. She was walking on the forest floor, with warm sunlight seeping through the leaves and dancing in the air. The place was absolutely foreign to her, but she felt no worry in her heart as she was holding someone's hand. She did not see his face, but she remembered his hand was big, firm and warm. _That is enough. That is all I want_. Shannon smiled in her sleep and fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

 **Sindarin-to-English Translation:**

Edhel : Elf

Ennor : Middle-Earth

Minas Tirith : The White City, capital of Gondor

Eryn Lasgalen : Later name of Mirkwood in Fourth Age


	10. Hiking

**Writer's Notes:**

Work started to get busy again, so I will not be able to update as frequently as before. Another thing is that I have been rewriting this particular chapter for a few times until I can get a more satisfactory version that won't contradict with what I have already wrote before and can link with the future chapters… Phew, writing story is not as easy as I've thought!

Please, please~~~ review after reading the chapter. Your encouragement and comments are very much needed and appreciated!

 **Raider-K** : Legolas truly meant it when he said the line ;-)

 **McSparkles** : Yes I do intend to make it sounds like a prophecy. But as what Game of Thrones have shown us, prophecies can be misleading… lol

 **TheRadiantFire** : Thank you very much for your support all along!

 **LovelyBoA** : I preferred dividing the story into shorter chapters so I could keep up a rather regular update, but since I cannot update as frequently as I used to be I may make the chapter longer than before. Hope you'll enjoy.

 **Kristen** : I do believe that Legolas will have a lot to comment on our ways of life, and I would like to write him as a more open-minded Elf than most of his people, which based on his unlikely friendship with Gimli I think I can safely assume that.

 **Melody** : Yes, the topic of religion is something I have planned to include in future chapters. I think this is inevitable as the Elves are deeply religious people, and I hope I can find a point where our world can connect to theirs.

 **Guest** : Thanks for your encouragement! Hope you like this chapter as well.

 **Goddessofwarriorcats** : Thank you =)

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Tolkien's work, of course.

* * *

 **Chapter 10 - Hiking**

 _What am I doing here?_ Shannon asked herself again the nth time within the last two hours as she crouched down to catch her breath. She glared vehemently at the winding wooden stairs in front of her and traced up until she saw Legolas lithe figure standing there, who was admiring the greeneries around him while throwing her jovial looks from afar. To her right she caught sight of a chubby squirrel a few steps above, who swayed its fluffy tail left and right while looking down at her with its curious beady eyes as if mocking her incompetence along with the _edhel_. Shannon tried to recall how she ended up panting miserably in the middle of a remote forest trail in a lovely Sunday morning.

 _Over the breakfast Shannon sighed as she browsed through her company emails from her iPhone._

" _Is work bothering you again?" Legolas said without looking up from his tea._

" _Yes… Marcus and Karl had tried to hook up with another designer from Spain, but he just reverted back and said he couldn't accept the offer due to conflicting schedule." Shannon put down her phone with a frown, her fingers massaged her temples wearily. "It seems that the project timeline has to shift by another month, which means we have to pay our staff another month of salary without any real work being done."_

 _Legolas took another sip from his teacup and then gently put it down onto the saucer. "Do you want to take a walk?" It was rare for him to make suggestion on how they spend their weekend together as he always let Shannon made the decision. "Recently I found a place with a pleasant view. We can bring our lunch there too."_

" _A picnic?" Shannon eyes brightened up instantly._

" _Yes. I am quite sure few men notice the place so we can have it all for ourselves."_

" _Sounds like an adventure!" Shannon quickly got up, her cheeks flushed with excitement, "Oh… a picnic… we got to prepare now… where is my picnic mat? Ohhhhh … and food! Do we have enough time to chill some lemonade?" She quickly drafted a checklist for picnic items in her mind and moved around the house in a blur, busied herself with the preparation. Legolas smiled satisfactorily as his proposal got quickly accepted and easily pulled Shannon out from her gloomy state. He was always amused by how easy his little human friend could perk up. Out of her usual calm and controlled demeanor, he often caught glimpse of innocence and curiosity that were ingrained in her spirit. Gave it a little boost, like what he just did as suggesting an impromptu outing, could effectively divert her from depression. His ada would probably degraded it as fickleness of men, but he perceived it as a endearing aspect of her character, a positive force to drive her (and unintentionally people around like him) forward in life._

 _While Shannon was absorbed in preparing the "perfect picnic", Legolas languidly got up and tidied away their breakfast. He inwardly grinned as he observed her zooming around the house. For Legolas, he could depart the house anytime without much preparation (if he could choose he would only pick his bow and arrows but Shannon forbade), but he knew Shannon would pack more than enough for both of them that probably could allow them to stay in the wild overnight. He was not sure if this was a common trait for women in this world, but he was always fascinated by how she could stuff so many items and other "essential belongings for modern ladies" in her medium sized handbag._

 _After Shannon finished her packing, she asked Legolas about the detail of their destination. She was surprised when Legolas showed her the location from Google Map, which was a mountain conservation area at the outskirt of the city. She had heard of the place before but never visited in person; she was never an outdoor person and would have prefered spending weekends in libraries or shopping malls rather than hiking in the wild. She declined Legolas suggestion of riding there by bike and decided to drive there instead, which still took them an hour driving on highway._

" _How did you know about this place?" Shannon got off her car and gaped at the forest which crept up and wide along the slopes of the mountain. Following the roadsign she could identify the wooden stairs among the shrubs which marked the entrance of the trail._

" _The trees tell me about it," Legolas shrugged and guided her towards the walking trail. Shannon gulped and decided to swallow back her witty remarks on the edhel's source of information. By the steepness of the slope her gut feeling told her to better save up energy and prepare for the strenuous journey ahead._

Shannon wiped the sweat off her forehead. She realised Legolas had already descended the stairs and stood right in front of her, his hand holding out a drinking bottle. She took a mouthful and shoved it back to him in shaking hands.

"We are almost there," he encouraged her with a smile and she took a critical look at him. He had volunteered to carry all their belongings, and now after two hours of hiking he still looked spotless and clean without a single piece of hair in disarray while she sweated like a pig.

"I am starting to get annoyed by your handsome face," she groused. His smile only broadened and he took her hand. Shannon immediately wanted to pull back, worried that her sweaty palm might have disgusted him, but Legolas held to her firmly and gently pulled her up the stairs. After they made a few more turns along the windy trails, he stopped at a spot where they came near a cliff with ivy sparsely climbing across. She looked questionably at him.

"Just a little way up." Legolas answered her unspoken question. "Up?" Shannon looked at the stairs, "Then why are we stopping here?"

"Up." Legolas looked behind her, and she followed his gaze and caught sight of the cliff. "No, no, no," Shannon slowly shook her head and started to back off, "You don't mean it."

He gave her a roguish grin before suddenly lifted her up in bridal style. She gave out a short yelp and instinctively clutched to him tightly. Before she threw any insult or complaint he darted towards the cliff and pranced upwards, one hand holding Shannon firmly in place while the other hand grasping the ivy, he pulled the two of them up the cliff swiftly and effortlessly. Shannon, at least to her credit, did not scream like a banshee and kept her eyes shut all the way long. After a great deal of swinging and swaying she felt they finally stopped.

"We arrived," Legolas whispered near her ear and grinned as she shuddered. Her eyes shot open wide and saw Legolas' smiling gray eyes gleaming at her. She was immediately aware of their closeness and flushed furiously. He seemed to read her uneasiness and gently dropped her to the ground, his hand lightly held the small of her back to keep her steady. She took in her surrounding and gasped.

"This is…" Shannon was at a loss for words. She found herself standing near the edge of the cliff, which oversaw a vast forest of Cedar and Fir trees. Beyond the trees there was an inlet, long and narrow, with its end reaching the sea at the far right. The blue water glistened like millions of mirror shreds, and range of mountains in various shades of gray lined in the background. The place that they were standing was in fact a small clearing with grass and small shrubs on top of a large flat boulder erected from the tall mountain at the back. It was like a natural platform especially built for revering such exquisite scenery.

"This is my recently found favourite secret spot."

Shannon, still in awe, replied, "Thanks for sharing. This place is impressive."

Leaving Shannon to absorb in the surroundings, Legolas started to unpack their belongings. He spread the picnic mat on the grass and took out their lunch: a long baguette, a chunk of cheese, assorted cold cuts, a jar of jam, a bunch of grapes and two bottles of lemonade hastily chilled by throwing into the freezer in the last minute. Shannon finally recovered from astonishment and settled herself with Legolas on the picnic mat. They ate their lunch in relative silence as they both enjoyed the tranquility and peace the place was providing.

After finishing her last piece of bread, Shannon said, "Thank you."

"You said already."

Shannon shook her head lightly, "Not only for this place, but for... everything."

"I should be the one to say so," Legolas replied nonchalantly.

Shannon shook her head again. "You have helped me in more ways than you've realised." Taking a glance at his confused expression, she continued, "You remember I told you about Marcus?"

Legolas' eyes narrowed immediately as he heard the name, "He broke your heart," he said frigidly.

"Yes he did when he called off our engagement," she leaned back a little and exhaled deeply, "Have I told you why he broke up with me?"

"No."

"He said he was bored."

"Pardon me?"

"Bored," she repeated. By the bewildered look of her handsome friend Shannon knew more explanation was required. "He said after so many years together our relationship had turned routine and mundane for him," her voice dropped lower and lower as if muttering to herself, "He said he had tried, really tried, but by the end of the engagement party, he knew he couldn't do it anymore."

Shannon's eyes were glistening with tears. She stubbornly wiped them away with her sleeves, refusing to let them fall. "He said he still cared for me, but only as siblings…. He said … he said his love for me just… died out… diminished." She paused and took in a few deep breaths, struggled to regain her composure. "And you know what was the worst part of all? It was still seeing him everyday, witnessing how his life seemed perfectly fine without me while my whole world just tumbled down!"

Finally gave in drying her tears, Shannon let her tears fell freely across her face while Legolas suppressed the urge to dry them. As little as he knew about comforting the fairer sex, at least he understood that at this moment he should be patient and gave her space to sort out her emotions.

After a long pause Shannon continued, "I was still a complete mess a few months ago," she glanced at the _edhel_ , "Until I met you."

Legolas slowly reached out for her hand and squeezed gently, "I was a good distraction, ain't I?"

Shannon broke into laughter through her teary face, a moment that Legolas did not fail to capture. "Sure you were! I was glad that among the options of running away or calling the police, I chose to take you back home." Her glossy eyes were now shining with a touch of excitement and humour, "I couldn't leave you behind, like you couldn't just walk away from an abandoned kitten."

The _edhel_ quirked his eyebrow, obviously not quite content with the metaphor, "A kitten?"

"A lion then, if that soothes your male's ego," she giggled while wiping away the last drop of tears, "A lost one, nevertheless. I didn't think much at the beginning, I just felt compelled to help you fit in here. But as time went by I started to realise I was probably the one who benefitted the most." She turned to face the him, looking right into his fathomless eyes, "I started to pick up things I hadn't done for years. It's like rediscovering myself… unearthing the original Shannon Fraser before enthralled by her first love." She looked down at their hands, lightly squeezed back, "I feel that I can continue to live on now, without him." She looked up again and smiled with her eyes, "Thank you, Legolas, for being with me all these time."

Being _edhel_ , who were so rich in culture and with years to perfect the art of literature, were rarely rendered speechless, but Legolas now found himself being caught in one of such scarce circumstances. He still kept a rather neutral face and composure, but deep inside he was overwhelmed with emotions. Some remote feelings that had been dormant for so long were stirred up again yet he could not decipher now.

He slowly withdrew his hand, hovered his arm over her shoulder and then gently pulled her towards himself. Shannon took the cue and leaned her head against his shoulder blade. After a period of comfortable silence, the _edhel_ started to hum with his soft, deep voice. She pressed her ears nearer to his chest, listening to the most beautiful yet saddest song she had ever heard of. Silently she wept for her lost love, for herself, and for this foreign, heartbreaking song.

* * *

Sindarin-to-English Translation:

Edhel : Elf

Ada : Father


	11. Greenleaf

**Writer's Notes:**

Finally got the story move forward a bit. Please don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tolkien's work, of course.

* * *

 **Chapter 11 - Greenleaf**

Humming the new song that Legolas had taught her (a much happier tune which he sang during their hiking as they went down the mountain), Shannon lightheartedly walked through the long corridor to her office. As she turned the doorknob and opened the door, she froze as there was already someone standing inside. When she recognised the face of the intruder she frowned a fraction and closed the door quickly behind her. Her merry mood immediately dropped a few notches.

"How did you get into my office?" Shannon asked accusingly.

"Your secretary let me in, obviously." Marcus replied placidly, eyes still fixing at the picture frame that he had been holding up. Shannon realised then what he had been holding.

"Don't touch my things!" She said hotly and tried to snatch it back, but Marcus swiftly held it up away from her reach.

"Where did you get this?"

"None of your business," she spatted, still struggling to reach the photo frame. She inwardly cursed his tall frame which she had once adored.

"Seems it is," Marcus hovered over and looked at her directly. Shannon did not like the proximity between them but was too stubborn to back down. She dug her heels and stared back, blatantly ignoring the fact that their noses were only a few inches apart.

"I repeat. None. Of. Your. Business."

Marcus remained unruffled and let out a soft sigh. "Listen Shannon, it matters because this," he waved the photo frame, "Is exactly what we have been searching for months."

"What?" Shannon was caught off guard.

Marcus was slightly peeved now by her ignorance and explained to her as if talking to a dimwit child. "Karl and I have been searching for the right designer, remember? We need someone who can help us design a fantasy world that is unique and matches Colin's taste. In his exact wording, 'something ancient, other-worldly with elegance and flair'. And this, is the perfect match." Marcus held the picture right in front of her eyes and Shannon unconsciously took a step back and glared at the picture. It was Legolas' drawing of the throne room of his homeland, _Eryn Lasgalen_.

 _Shit_. Shannon thought as she took another step back.

"And regarding the craftsmanship itself, it is …. phenomenal," he revered. "The person who drew this was leagues better than the artists we have encountered so far."

 _Well duh, unless you can find someone who has kept drawing for fifty years_. Shannon's mind was racing for an explanation. "It was just some random drawing I bought in the street."

"When and where did you buy this? Give me the exact location." Marcus chased unceasingly.

"I forgot."

"Shannon, this is important. This is not just for me, this is for our company!" He sounded exasperated.

"I can't remember."

Marcus rolled his eyes, "You know you suck at lying."

"I really can't remember. Sorry, okay?" Shannon bickered irritatedly and snatched back the picture. She turned rigidly to the door and swung it open. "I have nothing more to give. Now leave."

Marcus shot daggers at her and took his leave. She threw the door shut and clutched the picture close to her racing heart. _Shit, shit, shit_ , she reprimanded herself. If she had foreseen this outcome she would have never brought the picture back to office. It had never crossed her mind that Legolas' drawing could have anything to do with her company. She had been focusing on how to get her _edhel_ settle down and kept him under cover from potential human threats, but never had it in her mind to involve Legolas with her work. She would never attempt anything that might risk the exposure of her supernatural friend's true identity. As much as Marcus understood her, she knew him well enough that he would not back down easily. She knew she should brace herself from his future probing.

She had not expect another round of interrogation came as quickly as the same evening just before she was about to leave office. This time Marcus came and teamed up with Karl.

"Shannon, please let us know how to contact Greenleaf." Karl coaxed. Dark hair and green eyes, Karl always held a friendly and amiable demeanor that drew people to him. Marcus led the company with his unique vision and long time strategies while Shannon led the development and execution, and Karl was responsible for public relations, sales and marketing related works. He was an excellent negotiator, and since Marcus and Shannon's inconvenient breakup he was in a particularly important position of bridging his two partners. Though from Shannon's perspective his stand always slightly tilted towards Marcus, which regrettably put a strain on their friendship. Karl continued, "I agree with Marcus this time. This artist is exactly who we are looking for."

"I don't know who this Greenleaf is," she unabashedly lied.

"He signed in your picture," Marcus flatly pointed out.

Shannon retorted, "I didn't pay attention to that."

"Shannon, you know this Greenleaf in person, right?"

She tried to ignore Marcus' piercing gaze, "I said I don't know him."

"But he wrote 'To Shannon' under his signature. How could he not knowing you?" Karl asked as he looked dubiously at the picture.

"He didn't!" She ran to seize the picture and looked at it frantically. "Shit…"

Karl gave a sly grin while Shannon glared at him. _That cunning bastard_. On the picture there was only the signature of Greenleaf. Sometimes Shannon forgot the other side of her usual chummy friend and often found herself having to face the dire consequence of her absent mindedness.

"You know him. In person." Karl confirmed with a winning smile.

Shannon felt extremely uncomfortable being cornered by her two friends. She knew this time her grounding was weak. As one of the partners of the company, she should help them to reach this artist if they claimed him to be in such a crucial position to the success of the project. Truth to be told, she also had been stressing herself for months, worrying the progress of this flagship project and the future of their company. However Shannon also felt strongly that she must protect Legolas' privacy. Dragging him into this would inevitably exposing him to her other colleagues. Worst of all, when their production went public it would draw media's attention to their artist.

When Marcus opened his mouth again, Karl signaled him to back off and stepped up to do the persuasion instead. "Shannon, we don't want to put you into difficult position, but you surely understand the urgency of this?" Shannon avoided his gaze, and he pleaded softly, "Perhaps you have your concern that we aren't aware of. All you need to do is pass us his contact and we will do all the negotiation with him," Karl manoeuvred, "And we will surely pay him fair and good."

Shannon bit her lower lips and kept on looking anywhere except them. Marcus knew this gesture of her meant she was under stress, and a part of him started to berate himself of being too harsh on her. Yes, he knew he sounded like a hypocrite, but he truly still cared a lot about the woman in front of him. He was selfish, he was a jerk, he never denied the accusations pointed directly at him after their breakup, but he was not heartless; his feelings for her was true. He had broken her once, and he could not allow himself to steep even lower and inflict more pain upon her.

"You can take some time to think about this," Marcus relented with a sigh, suppressing his own eagerness and impatience, "Not long, mind you. But do consider our proposal seriously." He turned and departed. Karl gave Shannon a small squeeze on her shoulder and left as well.

That night Shannon continued to struggle with her dilemma. No matter which side she chose, she felt that she would let down and failed the other. When she was totally absorbed in her thoughts she faintly heard someone calling her.

"Huh? What? Did you call me?"

"Yes," Legolas answered patiently, "I was asking you about Thanksgiving."

"Thanksgiving?" She replied slowly, "Oh yes! It will be next Monday. It is a holiday when family and friends get together and celebrate with a feast." She faltered at the thought of family and friends. She glanced up at Legolas who looked somewhat worried at her. "I… When my parents were still in Canada we used to celebrate. My mom was a terrific cook," she gave him a weak smile, "But since they left the country I used to celebrate with…" she trailed off a bit, then took a breath before continued. "Since they left I used to celebrate with Marcus and Karl. Marcus' parents were at the States but he wasn't close with them. Karl's parents died when he was young."

"And this year? Are you going to celebrate with them?"

"No," Shannon shook her head. _We may probably never celebrate together again_ , she thought sadly.

"What will you prepare for the feast?"

Shannon looked up at him oddly, "You want to celebrate?"

"It is your tradition. I don't see why you stop observing this year."

 _Because my family and friends are gone_. Shannon swallowed down her bitter remark and asked him curiously instead, " _Edhels_ have festivals too?"

"We do have days of memorial in different times of the year. My _ada_ in particular loves feasting in the woods."

Shannon eyes widened, "You mean your father is a party person?"

"Party person?" Legolas's head tilted a bit as he digested the words and their meaning. "I am not sure if he fits in your description, but my _ada_ does love good wine," he chuckled, "We _edhel_ from the woods love to celebrate and stay in tune with nature."

"That pretty much sums up the meaning of Thanksgiving," Shannon's mood had apparently lightened up. "Just the two of us. Why not? Let's celebrate together!" For the rest of the night Shannon tried to recall what her mother used to prepare for Thanksgiving, and they discussed in detail what they would prepare for the feast. Shannon decided she would call her mother later to ask her about the recipes. This might be the smallest Thanksgiving party she would have, but Shannon believed it would still be a warm and joyous one, nevertheless.

The count down days before Thanksgiving passed by quickly. At work Shannon kept herself busy with team meetings, stuffing her schedule as tightly as possible in attempt of dodging from her other two partners. She was quite surprised her rather childish tactic actually worked, and she suspected they both did honour their words and tried to give her some space for her consideration. She had long made up her mind that she would not turn Legolas to them, and she dreaded how to deliver this to her partners without agitating them too much.

At home, Shannon had made a few Facetime calls with her mother. Her mother was ecstatic when she heard that Shannon finally wanted to learn how to cook a proper Thanksgiving meal. After her mother chatted for half an hour on how to prepare homemade gravy, they started to talk about the focus light of the feast: turkey.

"Now dear, first you have to learn where to buy a good turkey. You remember the butcher who I used to visit…"

"Eh… Mom? I don't think I will cook a whole turkey. Can I just buy the breasts?"

"What? How can you throw a Thanksgiving party without a proper turkey?" Her mother sounded offended.

"There will be just the two of us, we can't finish one whole…"

"Just the two of you?" Shannon's mother interrupted, "With Marcus?"

"No." Shannon replied quickly.

"Oh…" her mother's face fell a bit, but soon her expression turned to curiosity, "Then who are you going to celebrate with?"

"Just … friend." Shannon wanted to end this conversation and moved back to the turkey, but her mother would not let Shannon slipped away easily. "A friend? Male or female?"

"He is…" Shannon hesitated and cringed as her mother's curiosity flared. She of course could not disclose the true identity of Legolas, not to mention that her parents still did not know he was actually living in _their_ house. "He is from another country and I want to give him a proper Thanksgiving feast. We are just friend, Mom." Shannon's mother grinned wider. To Shannon's relief she decided to stop teasing her further, at least for now.

In the end Shannon and Legolas finalised on a scaled down version of her mother's Thanksgiving menu: stuffed turkey breast served with traditional gravy and cranberry pomegranate sauce, warm brussels sprouts salad, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie for dessert. On Thanksgiving day they went to buy the necessary groceries and spent the whole afternoon preparing the feast.

It started to get dark outside when Shannon anxiously stood in front of the oven, waiting for her pumpkin pie to be ready in a minute. Legolas suddenly looked up from his work and turned his head to the direction of the main entrance.

"We have visitors," he calmly announced. Shannon already got used to her friend's heightened senses and was not surprised by the slightest. "Weird. Who would that be?" She said without tearing her eyes from the oven. Legolas grabbed his headscarf, "I will answer the door." The doorbell rang just as he finished tying his headscarf and he headed to the doorway.

The oven alarm went off and Shannon gingerly took out her pie. She took a sniff of the aroma of spices and gave an approving nod. She smiled triumphantly and looked around in search of Legolas. Noticed he was still at the main door she walked towards the doorway.

"Legolas, who is it…" She stopped her sentence midway and looked alarmingly at the door. "Karl… and Marcus?"

* * *

 **Sindarin-to-English Translation:**

Edhel : Elf

Eryn Lasgalen : Later name of Mirkwood in Fourth Age

Ada : Father


	12. Thanksgiving

**Writer's Notes:**

Thank you all your reviews! Your encouragements and feedbacks are very much needed!

Similar to chapter "Hiking", I have reread and rewrite this chapter a couple of times. I want to be extra careful when writing about Legolas, and want to stick to canon as much as possible. After writing this chapter, I think I understand better why the elves have to flee to Valinor when the age of Men arrives. Earth is no longer a safe place for them to call home, unfortunately =(

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Tolkien's work, of course.

* * *

 **Chapter 12 - Thanksgiving**

"Karl… and Marcus?"

Legolas frowned at the names but still stepped back a fraction to let the visitors enter. Shannon came back from initial shock and scowled at the uninvited guests, "What are you two doing here?"

"We thought you might be alone and wanted to keep you company for Thanksgiving, with offerings of course," Karl flashed a smile and gave a shake at the bottle of wine in his hand.

"Oh…" Shannon's defence visibly lowered. _They thought I will be all alone … they still care for me?_ A small grin secretly crept on her face.

"But," Karl continued, "Seems like you don't need our company tonight…" he trailed off and raised his eyebrow curiously at Legolas. Marcus stood rigidly and gave a not-so-friendly glare to the stoic stranger who stood silently beside their friend. Shannon was alarmed by the current situation; the _edhel_ who she had been desperately trying to hide from people was now standing right in front of her friends. _No, it's okay for now,_ she reassured herself, _Legolas would not let them find out his true identity, and they had no way to know he was Greenleaf._

"That is… very kind of you. Thank you Karl… and Marcus." Shannon eyed wearily between her two colleagues and her housemate, "Well, as you can see I am occupied tonight …"

"Shhh… What's that smell?" Karl interrupted as he sniffed the air, "Seemed you have food all ready!" He didn't wait for Shannon's response and strolled off to the kitchen as if it was his house.

"Karl? Wait!" Shannon threw worried glances between Marcus and Legolas before hurriedly ran after Karl. Legolas turned and followed her without a word and Marcus slowly fell in line, his eyes bored into the tall blonde's back.

"Stop eating our food!" Shannon stormed into the kitchen glowering as she saw Karl popping food into his mouth.

"Are these all homemade? You really outdid yourself!" Karl ignored her and licked his fingers cheerfully.

"Karl," she rolled her eyes, "I didn't expect you guys to come so there aren't enough food for all of us…"

"You never bothered to cook," Marcus entered and stared at the array of food bitterly.

"You never bothered to help," Shannon retorted, "And it was you who suggested we could just buy takeaway instead."

"Your beau can cook? Good for you! Where did you find a supermodel who enjoys domestic work?" Karl winked at her.

"He is not… he is my friend," she flushed, which further entertained Karl and irritated Marcus. "And his name is Legolas! How rude are you!"

"That was your problem, not introducing us properly in the first place," Karl grinned. He then turned to Legolas, flashed his smile and held out his hand, "Hi, this is Karl. Nice to meet you." Legolas glanced at his hand for a second and slowly took his hand and shook it, "Legolas."

"Hey, you!" Karl indicated at Marcus, "Stop brooding there and introduce yourself!"

Marcus gave Karl a dark look before reluctantly turned to Legolas, "Marcus. Marcus Ferguson." Legolas looked at him sideways and gave him a small nod. Shannon looked at them anxiously while Karl sniggered.

The bickering between Shannon and Karl continued as Marcus stood awkwardly inside the kitchen, looking around anywhere except Legolas. Suddenly he caught sight of a picture frame that was not present since the last time he visited his ex-fiancée's kitchen. He moved towards it and picked it up.

"This is exquisite," Marcus admired wholeheartedly.

"Thank you," Legolas coolly replied.

Suddenly all actions and voices stopped, and everyone was staring at Legolas.

"...You drew this?" Marcus could not believe his ears. Shannon's heart raced, and before she could utter a word Legolas answered calmly, "Yes." Shannon felt the room started to spin.

Karl immediately strode towards Marcus and looked at the picture. There was no way to mistake the style and craftsmanship of this art piece. He was wide-eyed and looked up quickly at Legolas, "You are Greenleaf?" Legolas did not answer but turned his gaze quizzingly towards his human friend who had her hand pressing on her forehead. Now all the attention turned to Shannon.

"Okay guys," Shannon tried to speak as calmly as possible, "Let me explain this to you tomorrow. Now can you please leave first? I have something to discuss with Legolas…"

Sensing something was off from her expression, Marcus cut in and asked Legolas urgently, "Had Shannon mentioned about our proposal to you?"

"What proposal?" Legolas replied skeptically.

"Wait…!" Shannon moved forward and tried to reach Legolas, but Karl was quicker and used his body to block her way.

"Our proposal on hiring you as our chief designer for our coming game," Marcus continued quickly. "Did she mention it to you?" Legolas looked blankly at him.

"Stop!" Shannon screamed vehemently. "You have no right to trespass my property and now pester my guest…"

"And what right do you have to stop us from reaching him!?" Marcus swirled and shouted back at her with equal passion. "You know how important this is to all of us! We have been giving you nearly a week and you haven't even utter a single word about this to him!" Seeing Shannon visibly cringed at his accusation only further flared his anger. "Tell me you are planning to mention this to him tonight, and I will apologise immediately." She didn't reply and bit her lips, earning another low growl of irritation from him.

Karl, who had been silent all this time, looked gravely at Shannon, "Have you ever planned to speak to him for us?"

Shannon's downcast eyes spoke all. The kitchen fell eerily quiet again. She finally spoke softly, "He can't work as our designer."

"Why not?" Marcus pressed on icily.

"There are… reasons..." Shannon's eyes started to blur by tears. She felt terrible being condemned by her two best friends but found no word to excuse herself. She had truly let them down.

"I can."

All their gazes switched back to the mysterious blonde, who gracefully slid past the other two males and stopped beside Shannon. He tenderly caressed his thumb over the corner of her eye, wiping away the falling tears. She gaped at him and shook her head, "No no, you don't understand…"

"I think I do," Legolas replied softly. He turned his head slightly towards their guests, "Excuse us." He put his hand around her shoulder and gently guided her out of the kitchen, leaving the two frustrated men behind.

Once they reached the far end of the sunroom, Shannon immediately turned to him, "Legolas, about the designer role…".

"You have been looking for a painter, 'designer' as you have called. If you cannot find him soon enough you and your friends will be in trouble." Legolas smoothly summarised.

"In its simplest sense, yes. But there are a lot more to it," Shannon tried. "The reason why Marcus and Karl insist in hiring you is because they saw your drawings of _Eryn Lasgalen_. If they hire you you will be asked to draw similar things , though they won't know those are actually real in your world."

"That I can do."

"Yes… but then you will have to interact with many people as well, like our investors, our programmers, our staff, and I am sure they will want to know you more. They will ask questions, pry on your history..." she continued, talking more and more faster. "You know what is the worst? The mass media. Our game will go public, of course, and to be successful we will essentially try to attract as many attention as possible. If Karl does his work well, he will deliberately put your work under the spotlight in his marketing programme. People will notice the uniqueness of our design and the media will surely want to find out the designer who does it, which will be you, Legolas..."

"Shannon…" he gently put his hands over her tensed shoulders. He tried to draw her out from her wild thoughts but she kept on sputtering her reasons and worries.

"The media will try to dig out who you are. We are in the age where privacy is rare, and once your image is being captured in the Internet, there will be nearly no way to erase entirely from it again. Sooner or later, people will recognise you, and if they find out you are not human… they will not be kind to you. They will corner you, capture you, harm you, squeeze knowledge out of you…"

"That may be the worst, but it may also turn out fine…"

"But there is possibility! I don't want you to risk for me! Don't do this! I …." Her eyes were blurred by frustrating tears again, "I...I don't need any payback from you!"

"Shannon! Listen to me!" Legolas uttered huskily while gave her a firm shake. She finally stopped and searched wildly in his beautiful, depthless eyes. There was a trace of something akin to authority or power in Legolas' voice that forced Shannon to pull all her attention to him alone. "Breathe slowly and listen to me." She then realised she had been holding her breath and had been near hyperventilating from her previous babbling.

"I understand your concerns, and I appreciate them all," Legolas' deep voice softly hummed to her like soothing waves. "But do not forget I am _edhel_ , a young one amongst my kin, but still ancient to your people. I have seen numerous civilisations rise and fall. I have been amongst them for sometime, and I even have a few from the race of men who I call as true friends."

"But my people are different from the men in your world!" Shannon continued to fret, "We possess unprecedented knowledge and power, and some will use them to do great evil…"

"Believe me, my dear Shannon! Men have not changed as much as you might have thought as compared to my world, to my time." Legolas chuckled sadly and caressed her cheek, "I knew well that men tend to succumb to power, and out of fear and despair for mortality they can do unimaginable and unspeakable things."

Shannon could feel the weight and wisdom laced within Legolas words, but his words could not yet pacify her trembling heart. "But what if …"

"My days in _Ennor_ was not all in peace. We had faced great evils and dangers. We had fought against foul creatures that are beyond your comprehension." Legolas eyes were slightly glazed as he absentmindedly ran his fingers through Shannon's hair. "But we fought and we prevail." He turned his attention back to Shannon, looking at her intently, "I am a warrior, Shannon. I can protect myself. No men's law, nor their strength, nor their will, can abide me. If it becomes too dangerous for me to stay in men's city, I can always live off in some hidden forest far away from them, as we _edhel_ are used to and actually preferred."

He lowered his eyes and he continued softly, "And even if they did wound me physically, I may die but my _fae_ will pass to _Valinor_ , which is not totally undesirable if that shall lead me back to where I belong."

Shannon's face turned pale by his words. Her hands, as if trying to find bearing themselves, automatically clutched onto his shirt. "If anyone do you harm because of me I will never forgive myself."

A mixture of feelings, somewhere between agony and bliss, swept across Legolas' heart. He had felt something similar during their last hiking, but this time these emotions had grown deeper, stronger. _Too close_ , his survival instinct was screaming at him, _you will bring your own downfall_. Yet another part of him was ecstatic, urging him to embrace these feelings at all cost. _Isn't this is what you have longed for over two millenium?_ Under his calm facade there was no way he would let his dear _adaneth_ knew the turbulent of conflicting thoughts and emotions roaring within him. He reached for her hands on his chest and gently squeezed, "No need to worry for me. I can protect myself and will avoid any ill fate fall upon me."

 _At least in your days._

Shannon gazed upon her _edhel_ again, probably the first time she truly looked at him without her own presumptions and prejudices. He was not some lost kitten she adopted out of sheer good-will. He was a supernatural being with high intelligence and capabilities, who was powerful enough to cope with this alien world without her help. He stayed by her side not because he needed to, it was just because he chose to. She was never his protégé; he was her friend, her equal, and now he chose to offer her his help.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" She whispered.

"Yes," Legolas gave her another reassuring smile.

"I … I don't know how to repay you."

"I will never ask such things from you. But if you do insist..." He paused and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, slender fingers grazed along her ears a moment too long before he recovered his composure, "A simple 'thank you' will do."

Shannon's face slowly broke into a warm smile. "Thank you," she tiptoed and pecked his cheek. Quick and chaste the kiss was, Shannon still felt terribly embarrassed by her sudden impulse-driven action and blushed furiously.

"Let's … let's go back and break the news to them," she silently berated herself for stuttering which did no help to alleviate her embarrassment. If she dared to look more carefully at him she would notice she was not the only one blushing.

When they were back to the kitchen the other two men were still standing around the countertop with dour expressions plastered on their faces.

"So?" Karl inquired with eyebrow raised. Shannon took a glance at Legolas who gave her a slight nod. She cleared her throat.

"So, as Legolas has just promised, he can help us with the designer work." The two men, who might had assumed the worst, were instantly lightened up by the news.

"That's great! Thank you very much," Marcus took Legolas hands and shook fervently. Legolas, poker-faced, gave him a slight nod in return. Karl drew near and took his turn of hands shaking with their new designer, "When are you free to come to our office? We'd like to kick start as soon as possible."

"Tomorrow?" Shannon searched the _edhel_ 's face who showed no sign of disapproval. "We can come tomorrow morning."

"Excellent! In parallel we will draft the contract and we can discuss the terms together…"

"Regarding the contract," Shannon interjected, "Legolas will not sign it himself. I will be his representative and all legal documents will be through me." The two men shot surprised looks at her.

"Are you his lawyer or manager?" Marcus asked incredulously, "Wouldn't it be easier and more appropriate if we deal with him directly?"

"No. This is one of the pre-conditions we propose if you want to have this deal work." Marcus looked doubtfully at Karl who replied with a shrug. "Okay…" he hesitantly replied, "I can have a chat with our lawyers to see if this is feasible. What other terms do you have?"

"I will think of more tonight."

"Deal," Karl concluded, "This Thanksgiving turns out to be more eventful than I thought! Now I think we should stop interrupting your date and take our leave now. Marcus?" He indicated at his friend, who wavered a few more stares between Shannon and Legolas before relenting, "Yes...we should go."

Before Karl stepped out of the main entrance door, he turned to Shannon and grinned, "Don't forget to try the wine. 2011 Pinot Noir from Le Musigny, good stuff. But don't drink too much, you surely won't want to call it a night so soon with your beau." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and snickered as Marcus growled and shoved Karl out of the doorway. Marcus took another quick glance at Shannon, muttered goodbye and tucked Karl down the driveway. Shannon slammed the door with more than necessary strength.

"We finally have some peace again," Shannon mumbled, "Let's reheat our food and resume our dinner." As they walked back to the kitchen, Legolas casually grab the bottle of wine, "Shall we try the wine tonight?"

"Probably next time," Shannon replied as she busied with reheating the food, "We have to deal with those two tomorrow morning and I don't want to go to meeting with them with a hangover."

"So you can't hold your wine well?" Legolas smiled smugly.

"I am not that bad. Don't listen to Karl, he just want to tease." Shannon pouted a little. "Can you?"

" _Edhel_ have higher tolerance than men. Our wine is strong."

"We shall have a wine tasting night someday," Shannon grinned, "And let me show you the sophisticated world of modern wine."

"I shall look forward to it," the _edhel_ laughed and happily accept the invitation.

* * *

 **Sindarin-to-English Translation:**

Adaneth: Mortal woman

Edhel : Elf

Ennor: Middle-Earth

Eryn Lasgalen : Later name of Mirkwood in Fourth Age

Fae: Soul or spiritValinor: The realm of Valar, the residing place for immortals.


	13. The Chief Designer

**Writer's Notes:**

Dear readers thank you all for your reviews/follows! Your feedbacks and supports are much appreciated! Love you and belated Happy Valentine's Day!

 **Raider-K** : Thank you for your long time support!

 **Scwv03** : Glad you like the story. I have so much fun writing the story too =)

 **Cordelia** : I have been wondering which section will an elf select if he visits an HMV store (lol) Classical will be a safe choice, death metal will definitely be a no-no, but there is still a wide range within the spectrum. Pop? Country? Soft rock? I would imagine Legolas to be an elf more open to diversities.

 **Amanda** : Haha if the story happens in England maybe I can set up something like a time portal at standing stones at Craigh na Dun (Yay Outlander~). However this is setup in Canada, so no stonehenge, just totem poles….

 **Sage** : Legolas and Shannon's relationship will keep progressing, but I try to not to rush. I think both parties need some serious thinking before acting out. Love is never a easy thing.

 **Kristin** : I think I've answered your question in this chapter: Shannon is Christian.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Tolkien's work, of course.

* * *

 **Chapter 13 - The Chief Designer**

As Shannon had imagined, the first day she brought Legolas to work the office was in chaos. Minor commotions among the female staffs rose here and there ever since the _edhel_ stepped his foot into the office; suppressed squeals and loud gasps could be heard wherever he past by. However the major havoc happened in the meeting room where Shannon, Karl, Marcus, and their company's legal consultants discussed about the terms and conditions with their new chief designer. After learning that Legolas would not sign a single document with the company and would have his real name remained anonymous, to say the legal consultants were unhappy was an understatement.

"So this will imply that the company will not be hiring Mr Legolas directly, or establishing any direct work relationship with him, at least officially. It will be purchasing Mr Legolas' work through Miss Fraser, who personally owned all of his works under the name 'Greenleaf'." Mr Bowle, the senior legal consultant, re-adjusting his golden-trimmed glasses as he summarised their hour-long tedious discussion with a deep frown. "Miss Fraser, you understand that any future liabilities related to Mr Legolas' works used in the game will fall upon yourself as well?"

"Yes, I understand," Shannon confirmed. Legolas was literally an illegal resident, so it was impossible for him to sign any contract or provide any legal identification. The best approach Shannon could come up with would be her dealing with all the paper works, with Legolas' works directly owned by her instead. In normal circumstances this would be highly undesirable in case any dispute related to copyrights might arise between Legolas and her, but Shannon was absolutely certain they would never end up in court.

Mr Bowle turned to Legolas solemnly, "And Mr Legolas, since you are not directly involved with the company, any future rewards, profits or bonus granted by the company to the designer work will all go to Miss Fraser instead. Are you certain about this?"

"Absolutely," Legolas replied smoothly while Shannon mentally rolled her eyes. She had quite a lengthy discussion with him yesterday night, trying to persuade him to accept payment for his designer job. Legolas was adamant that he would not get paid for what he offered for help, and made references to the various wars that he had fought for his friends without asking for reward. She tried to reason with him, emphasizing the importance of money in men's society and that it would be beneficial for him to save some for future use, but the _edhel_ stood firm on his ground. In the end Shannon relented and concluded that _edhel_ could sometimes be as stubborn as a mule.

Karl swinged his chair near Shannon and whispered, "Where did you capture such a fine male specimen who is so smitten with you?"

Shannon noticed Karl's wrong implication of their relationship but chose to ignore for now. She turned and neared her mouth towards his ear, "He dropped from the sky in front of me."

"God sent, huh?" Karl grinned.

"Indeed," she beamed and glanced at Legolas, who was facing Mr Bowle but she could still see the corner of his mouth had turned slightly upwards.

When coming to get real work start, Legolas' meeting with her architects and team leaders ran much smoother than she had anticipated. After Marcus and Karl explained their design concepts to Legolas, he drew quickly buildings and landscapes on papers and answered patiently to all questions raised regarding the details of his illustrations. If there had been an ounce of doubt among the staff whether this mysterious, supermodel-like young man could fulfill the strenuous task of being the leader of their design team, all worries were evaporated as they witnessed first hand how quickly Legolas could take in their ideas and swiftly produced beautiful artworks for them to follow. Their new chief designer also threw in many innovative ideas to the design of the game, making the world view more concrete with fascinating details that the team had never thought of.

Watching her men listening tentatively to the _edhel_ , Shannon recalled his story on how he was helping to rebuild a city before he being thrown into her world. _What was the city's name again? Ah,_ _Ithilien_ , she remembered. She knew that if he was capable of building a real city with medieval men, now building a virtual city with a group of programmers would definitely be a piece of cake for him. By observing how skillful he could organise ideas and allocate resources she was positive that back in his world he was used to lead people. _Was he an officer? Or maybe a sergeant of an army?_ Shannon wondered if his people's military had ranks similar to modern world. She put her questions in mind into words as she drove them back home after the long day.

"Yes, I was captain of the royal guard," confirmed her new designer.

"No wonder! Who can imagine our smoking-hot chief designer is a military veteran at the core," she jested.

"A part of me will always be a soldier," he smiled slightly but not quite reaching his eyes.

She took a brief look at him before concentrating on the road again. The dispiriting undertone of his voice was unsettling. "Did you miss it? Being in the army?" she asked softly.

The _edhel_ titled his head slightly as he regarded her question, "I would not say I miss it. It was just the right thing to do in times of need." He straightened up a little and continued, "As you know, we live as long as _Arda_ exists. For such a long stretch of time our purpose of life may shift along as well. There are times we protect and go to war, there are times we sow and construct cities."

"Ecclesiastes."

"Pardon me?"

"Ecclesiastes, one of the books in the Bible, Christians' sacred text from God. What you say just now resonates with some verses from the book."

"What are the verses?" Legolas sounded intrigued.

"I can't recite them all word by word. I don't have photographic memory, remember?" Shannon chuckled, "But it goes something like... there is time for life, there is time for death. There is time we laugh, and there is time we mourn… Life keeps changing with its ups and downs and with purpose from above."

 _Purpose from above_ , Legolas contemplated in silence. That was the exact question that had been bothering him ever since he stepped his foot on this strange, foreign land. For whatever reason the Valar had to send him through time and space, he innately felt that the _adaneth_ who was now sitting beside him humming to some random tunes held a crucial key to the whole mystery.

* * *

The next two weeks past by like a blur, with everyone in the company worked ceaselessly day and night to get the initial design document ready. Legolas accompanied Shannon to work every day, kept on drawing and advising the design team while Shannon, Marcus and Karl tracked down their schedules and cleared whatever obstacles that came across.

It was 2 a.m. in the morning. Sitting in the expensive executive chair in her office, Shannon had been staring at the same page on screen for nearly half an hour. Her eyes felt heavy and her back started to ache. She adjusted her position but soon she started to doze off again.

"You should get some sleep," came a low, silvery voice from her left. Shannon's eyes did not move away from the screen as she fully registered from whom that came from, "I am fine." She heard a long sigh from the male, "You have been looking at the same page for half hour already." _How did he know?_ This time she turned and faced the _edhel_ , who was sitting in the large mocha leather sofa, looking both concerned and exasperated.

"I said I am fine, just a couple of pages more. And then tidy up a bit the report from finance and put it into the slides for tomorrow…And then….and then… Oh crap, what else? I think I still got one more item to clear before morning..." She muttered as she scanned through the neon coloured post-its that were stuck all around her monitor. While still trying to locate the correct post-it, she suddenly felt something warm pressed against the back of her head. Then a pair of arms appeared at either side of her head, reaching for the keyboard and quickly did a Ctrl-Alt-Delete-Enter.

"Hey!" Shannon was flustered by the sudden interruption but also secretly amazed by how well her immortal friend had adapted her world; in just half a year the _edhel_ had truly transformed from a medieval soldier to someone who could lock her computer. Her chair was swivelled around and now she found herself directly facing him. He placed his arms on armrests as support, his body bent forward with his head hovering only a few inches over her. Platinum blonde hair slid past his shoulders like silver waterfall and his stormy eyes seemed to glow within. He was positively intimidating and subconsciously she sank further back into the chair.

"Sleep," his deep voice rumbled, still gentle yet firm.

"No!" She stubbornly protested while suppressing the urge to sink even further into the chair as the tall blonde's eyes bored into hers, "I need to finish these first. Let me grab another cup of coffee…"

"No," Legolas refused to back down, "You can leave the rest to your secretary tomorrow morning." Even in this drowsy state, Shannon could detect the irritation in his tone. _Why is he upset?_ She leered at him with defiance.

"But Katherine will come in late tomorrow! What if she can't finish editing these before the meeting?"

"Then so be it."

"What!?"

"So be it. We have got most of the materials covered already. Missing a few items will not hinder the flow of the main discussion." Legolas' eyes locked at hers intently and pressed on, "And now, you should rest."

 _What's the matter with him?_ Shannon believed that recently she could read the _edhel_ 's emotion better, either she grew accustomed to his subtle change in tone and demeanor, or he had opened himself more to her. She peered at him and wondered aloud, "Are you worrying about me?"

"How could I not?" His irritation was blatantly obvious now and had taken up a notch, "You have been eating less and losing weight. This morning before breakfast you even took medicine to counter your migraine."

"You knew?" Shannon did not hide her surprise.

Legolas darted his eyes sideways, "We are living in the same house. It is not hard to notice."

Shannon smiled and rubbed her eyes, feeling more relieved now after discovering his reason of vexation. "These are normal for me whenever I have to rush for a deadline," she admitted. Seeing that her confession did nothing to loosen him up, she continued to coax, "It's really okay. I only need to catch some beauty sleep after tomorrow's meeting." Her supernatural friend still did not seem to ease a bit. "Oh come on, Legolas, I won't get sick that easily!" _Are all edels that hard to persuade?_ "You know what," she stifled a yawn, "I think my family line, my mother's side, is blessed with longevity. My mom said her grandmother and great-grandmother were past 95 before they passed away!" The _edhel_ still did not move an inch. O _h my I AM exhausted_ , she groggily looked up and gave a weak smile, "Okay okay… I will lie down for a while. Happy?" Legolas finally straightened up. She sighed defeatedly and offered her hands, which he took them and swiftly pulled her up. He led her to the sofa, helped her lying down and covered her with a coat he took from a nearby clothes stand. He sat in the sofa next to her and picked up his drawing board to resume his drawing.

"Can you wake me up when Katherine comes in tomorrow?" she mumbled with her eyes half closed.

"I can."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Only then she was satisfied and let herself fell in a deep slumber.

Legolas stared down at his drawing board, and only when he heard her soft snoring then he allowed himself to turn his gaze back to her. His mind flew back to their previous conversations. Yes, he had been looking at her all the time. Like a man in desert thirsting for water, his eyes couldn't stop craving at each sight of her. He marvelled at her passion and skills at work, which was a stark contrast of her usual kind and playful self he was used to at home. The way she composed herself confidently and gave instructions to her teams, how she maneuvered through negotiations, or even her heated debates with her partners all fascinated him. Back in _Ennor_ women had low social status, and it was norm for them to be meek and submissive. He was profoundly grateful for the great improvement of gender equality in men society, such that brilliant women like Shannon could practically shine and earn the respect she deserved. He was truly proud of her.

However, it also pained him to see how harsh she had treated herself to achieve her goals. He searched and found her thin wrist, his fingers twitched as he resisted the urge of holding her. _So delicate, so fragile._ Didn't she realise how few her good days were in her fleeting life? How the 95 years she boasted she might have were just a blink in his _edhel_ 's eyes? The sight of her growing weak was already unbearable. He couldn't imagine how his heart could hold in place when he had to witness her wither in old age and die, forever parting with him, with his fae. It would be like killing himself in the slowest and most excruciating way.

He shut his eyes and shook his head. _Stop this madness_. He wasn't ready to submit his life yet. He still wanted to go back to his _ada_ , to his dear friends Aragorn and Gimli, to his people. He still had an unfinished city waiting for him to rebuild, and other purposes of life that lay ahead of him.

He tried to focus back to his blank drawing paper, but not long did he find himself drifting back to the sleeping _adaneth_ beside him. He willed himself to fight against the temptation, he prayed to the beloved _Elbereth_ for courage and guidance, but as a seasoned warrior he started to fear that he was fighting a losing battle. Instead of being butchered and lay down on a pool of his own blood, he dreaded more the fate of crumbling down over his thousand shattered heart.

* * *

 **Sindarin-to-English Translation:**

Ada: Father

Adaneth: Mortal woman

Arda: Earth

Edhel : Elf

Elbereth: Vala Varda

Ennor: Middle-Earth

Valar: Powers of the world created by Ilúvatar


	14. Remedy

**Writer's Notes:**

Hi all, thanks again for your reviews/follows/favorites! Work is getting busier and after this chapter I hope I can still upload one more before Easter weekend. This story finally reaches the point which I have been longing to write! Drama and tension! I haven't think too much when I started this project, and now I truly felt I have assigned a tough task for myself. I needed more time than I've initially estimated to build up a sturdy foundation for my characters to develop relationships. I don't want to rush, especially when we are talking about an elf falling in love in the most extraordinary circumstances. It is a self-discovering journey for my characters as well as myself, and I must admit I am truly enjoying it. Hope you can share my happiness as well =)

Thank you again **WickedGreene13** , **Raider-K** , **kristin** and **TheRadiantFire** for your reviews!

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Tolkien's work, of course.

* * *

 **Chapter 14 - Remedy**

Clear footsteps echoed between the walls of the tenebrous alley as the man swiftly passed by. The air was chill and the man ducked his face further under his blue woolen scarf. As he approached the end of the dim deserted alley, his surrounding gradually lid up and mixture of men's voices and music got louder and clearer. A few seconds later, he reached the bright exit and took a sharp right turn to the main street. Contrasted with the short cut he had just walked through, the main street in downtown area was dazzled with flashing advertising signs and crowded with people gathering in front of bars and pubs. He maneuvered through the crowds, occasionally sidestepped to avoid bulky men or squeaky girls who swayed towards him due to too much alcohol.

Among the large crowd the man still stood out easily. His curly chestnut hair shown a brighter red hue under the streetlights, and his statuesque figure and handsome face drew attention as he walked along, from guarded, suspicious glares from males and suggestive, lustful eye-batterings from females.

He finally slowed down and stopped in front of a pub decorated in black wood and large glass windows, with the pub's name "The Blue Wisp" in gilded golden font inscribed at the top of the shopfront. As he pushed through the glass door he was instantly enveloped by warm air and sweet smell of food and wine. His eyes fell onto the far corner searching, and immediately he saw the familiar figure who had also spotted him and waved back. He went through the tables, gave a quick nod to the bartender who had acknowledged him, and took the seat in front of his friend.

"Got dragged on by the conference call?" Karl asked while signalling the waiter for drinking menu.

"No, the call ended on time. I just wanted to have a quick follow up chat with the architects before I fly to London tomorrow." Marcus took off his thick suit jacket and pulled away his scarf. He received the menu from the waiter, took a quick glance and ordered a single malt Scotch. Karl took a sip of his own whisky, peered at the scarf on the table but said nothing.

"So how's our new Chief Designer doing?" Karl continued lightheartedly.

Marcus looked bemusedly at his friend, "You are in the same company with all the little birds around feeding you information. You probably know better than me."

"But those are only second or third hand information," he whined, "You are the one who directly work with him for most of the time. Your opinion weighs more."

"He is great," Marcus stretched a bit and continued, "His design is exemplary and unique. He is patient, logical, mature, and can bring in a very different perspective when tackling problems. The team leaders hold very high regard on him." The waiter brought and put down Marcus' whisky, which he quickly held up and took a large gulp. He felt the cold liquid burning down his throat. He relished the scorching sensation and craved for more. "Yesterday Tony told me that our Chief Designer had a surprising knack for combat skills as well. They think they can ask him to help doing motion capture instead of hiring a stuntman."

Karl whistled, "So he is well-versed in both art and combat? Oh man, is he even human?" He jested while his companion said nothing. "How about you? How do you think of him? Personally?"

"When does my feeling matter?"

"Aww come on, you are our Managing Director, of course it matters."

Marcus took another gulp, "I don't like him. And I think the feeling is mutual."

Karl chuckled, "Not used to work with someone more talented and better looking than you?"

Marcus snorted, "I admit I have some ego issues, but mine has not inflated so much as to reject people who is better than me." He took a small piece of sausage from the platter in front of him, "He is just …. Weird. Flawless to a point that borderline creepiness."

"That I concur. Apart from his too stunning looks, that guy emits some kind of … I don't know… aura? That screams unnatural." Karl took a bite of the cheese, "But Shannon trusts him. Unconditionally." An irritated look flashed across Marcus' face for a millisecond which Karl did not fail to pick up. He took another bite and continued, "She still didn't learn her lesson well it would seem."

"What do you mean?" Marcus stabbed another piece of sausage with obviously too much force.

"You know what I mean," Karl smirked, "I had been worrying how long would it take her to move on. My worries seem to be unnecessary, which I am grateful for."

"You mean that's okay for you?" Marcus raised his voice. "She said she only met that guy this summer, and he moved in with her already! And now he tags along her like a leech wherever she goes!"

"Well, if you are worrying about him drying her bank account, I think it is more like the other way round. He is filling her account with the money he has made."

"Perhaps that is just a facade? Or maybe he is trying to earn her trust and aim for her money?"

Karl chewed slowly as he gave thought to his friend's accusation, "Or perhaps he just adores her? He is suspicious and creepy, but my gut feeling tells me he won't harm her." He glanced at his friend who pulled a distasteful look, "Okay, gut feeling sounds lame. But come on, why can't you accept that Legolas helps her just because he likes her? Shannon is beautiful and charming, it is easy for guys to fall for her." Karl looked pointedly at Marcus, "You, among all people, should know it well enough."

Marcus didn't respond. He twirled the golden liquid in his glass, mesmerized by the gleaming ripples that he created. Taking cue that his companion wasn't going to continue the topic, Karl moved on, "So how are you two doing?"

"Who?"

"Andrea. Your girlfriend."

"It's Emma. I broke up with Andrea two weeks ago," Marcus replied nonchalantly.

"Whatever," Karl rolled his eyes, "I will give up remembering your girlfriends' names. What a waste of effort."

"That's true. Save your time and don't bother anymore," he chuckled darkly.

Karl took another sip from his glass and peered at him over the rim, "Are you really enjoying? Your hard-earned freedom."

Marcus glared at his best friend who had no problem staring back. It was obvious that Karl wouldn't let him dodge this time. He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair, "...No..." he reluctantly replied. He braced himself for the series of mocking that was going to launch at him after his admittance, but instead he met the sorrowful gaze from his companion. This could not get even worse.

"Quit that," the larger man spatted, "I don't need your pity."

Karl slowly touched the rim of his glass, "You and Shannon are the closest thing I have to family," his voice lost the usual playful tone as he continued. "When I told you I was the happiest person on Earth to receive the news of your engagement, I had truly meant it."

"Sorry to disappoint you."

"You don't need to be so defensive."

Marcus looked at his empty glass. He clicked his tongue and ordered for a refill. Only after he flushed down half of his Scotch did he managed to utter, "I've royally screwed up, haven't I." It came out as a statement and no further affirmation needed.

"Well… yeah, you have." Green eyes laid upon the blue scarf across the table, "You should put that away by the way. No need to rub salt on your own wound." Marcus instinctively clutched on it protectively. The scarf was a handmade gift from Shannon back in university. It was a bit worn out and Marcus had put it aside for years. He found it from the bottom of his cupboard a few days ago and since then he found himself unwilling to part from it anymore.

"Do you want her back?" Karl asked casually.

Marcus glanced at him uneasily, "Isn't it too late to ask?"

His friend tilted his head and rubbed his chin, "Maybe not."

"What do you mean?" His fingered clutched reflexively tighter around his scarf.

"I mean what I said." Looking at the clueless expression of his companion, Karl put his hands up dramatically, "Oh come on! You seriously didn't notice? Seriously?"

"Notice what?" Marcus hissed impatiently.

"They are not together yet."

Marcus wrinkled his forehead with surprise, "How did you know?"

"Did Shannon ever refer Legolas as her boyfriend?"

"No…" Marcus temporarily lost in thought, "She always refer him as her... 'friend'",he frowned, "But he is practically living with her!"

"That doesn't mean she is sharing her bed with him," Karl shrugged, and Marcus knew he had a point. He himself had waited through their first year before she was willing to get intimate with him. Now thinking back that was a true feat of self-restraint and patience. _That was history. Perhaps she has changed_ , he shook his head lightly. "Are these all you have to support your proposition?"

"One more. Her eyes."

"What happened to her eyes?" Marcus was completely baffled.

Karl leaned back and scratched the back of his neck, "How come you are a genius when doing business but can be a complete idiot at the love department?"

Marcus knew his friend was toying him now, leaving him in suspense. He breathed in and out and suppressed the urge to shout. He desperately needed to get more information. "So what is it about her eyes?" he tried patiently again.

"The way she looks at him says all. She is not totally in love with him yet. For sure she is infatuated with him, but not _there_ , not yet."

"How can you be so sure?" Marcus asked skeptically.

Karl's smirk was gone as he regarded his friend solemnly, "Because I've seen before with my eyes. How she had looked at you back then, when she was deeply in love."

That totally silenced him. Yes he remembered. He remembered those lovely, chocolate eyes, full of love and joy like never-ending summer followed him wherever he went. How could he rip away the heat and affection from those beautiful eyes? He was so accustomed to them that he started to grow numb, which he had regrettably interpreted as his love for her was gone. Since their breakup he never lacked of female companions, as his looks and social status would have guaranteed, but none of them could last long. He casually grasped any opportunities offered to him, indulged himself in physical pleasure and passion as much as he could, but no one could perfectly fit in the gaping hole in his heart. It took him some time to realise the hole within him was carved in the shape of his ex-lover, and his quest in search of true love was deemed futile since the day of their breakup. Guilt-ridden and shameful, it had crossed his mind numerous times to barge into her office, knelt in front of her and begged her to take him back. However all his courage he managed to muster would evaporated once he looked into her eyes, now full of hurt and mistrust and hate, like a blizzard in the midst of the most unforgivable winter.

That evening of Thanksgiving was a hard blow. It was him who proposed to visit her place. He had made sure Karl would tag along so that she wouldn't slam the door right in front of his face, and also to provide emotional support for himself on his mission of redemption. How could he possibly imagined his place was already usurped by some mysterious blonde? And who gave him the right to go all protector-and-saviour mode when he discussed (or ranted, with all good reasons) business with her? As if to top up his punishment by some higher beings, he actually _needed_ this usuper to save his company, and forced to witness their close bonding _everyday_ while had to play nice and civil with him as he was their long-sought Chief Designer. That's karma, he was absolutely sure. Was is not too late to redeem himself? To take back what had been his? Guilt, regret, self-hatred, despair as well as hope, love and excitement came down to him all at once and overwhelmed him.

Karl tapped his fingers at the wooden table while he waited his best friend struggling in his internal battle. After a while he decided to speak up, "Marcus, you may not like to hear this, and I know I kinda contradict with what I said before...but don't raise too much hope." His friend glared at him through his eyelashes, waiting for him to further explain. Karl licked his lips and continued, "That guy surely has a thing for her. The way he acts around her, as if… as if she is the most important thing in the world and only her matters to him while others just fall back as background, is way too obvious. I can't tell if he makes his move yet or not, but if he does, let's be frank, your chance is slim. If he is a character in the game, his ability scores for all attributes would have freakishly maxed out."

"Thanks bud. That's really encouraging."

"I just don't want to plant false hope in you."

Marcus contemplated his words, twirling his glass in his hand. Karl was the most perceptive person he had ever known. When came down to people and relationships, he was always right. Why didn't he listen to him before he made that fatal decision? Was it too late to remedy? _You will never know if you don't try_ , his businessman side kicked in. _You have nothing to lose for trying. You can't get even more worse than now_.

"No risk, no gain," Marcus' eyes gleamed with a new found determination as he turned his attention back to the man in front of him, "As you said, it is too soon to give up, not without putting up a good fight."

"Ha! That's the spirit of the alpha of our pack!" Karl laughed cheerfully and raised his glass. Marcus grinned, raised his glass in return and finished the liquid from it. Excited with his new found challenge, the gears in his head started to work in full speed, outlining possible options and tactics he might use. He put down his glass and enquired, "Karl, can you help me with something?"

"Sure, buddy. Anything that is legal."

"It's legal," Marcus rolled his eyes, "Can you help me to dig up his background?"

"Wooo…. To know your enemy, right?" Karl quipped.

"Yeah… 'If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles', a quote from Sun Tzu," Marcus snickered. "But not because he is my personal enemy. He is now a member of our management team, official or not. By normal procurement procedure we should have done a background check before hiring him. Of course things back then was a bit rush and Shannon insisted he should have as little ties with us as possible…" Marcus titled his head and tapped his head with his finger, "Actually that has been bugging me on and off. What is she trying to cover for him? She never gives a satisfying answer. That isn't like her."

"She may not like it if she knows you hire people to check on him."

"She won't like it of course. Another thing for her to add to her 'I-hate-Marcus' list," he smiled bitterly, "But she will understand, eventually, that it is the right thing to do for the company."

Karl slowly nodded, "Fair enough."

"Thank you," Marcus sank back to his chair. He finally seemed to find his bearing again. _Not without a good fight_ , he silently promised himself.


	15. Falling, falling, falling

**Writer's Notes:**

Hello my dearest readers! I finally past my peak season and can resume writing again! ^0^

This is quite a long chapter but I think I prefer this rather than chopping it into smaller parts. Hope you'll enjoy. Reviews are most welcomed and appreciated!

kristin, Karen, Kaikitty165, Goddessofwarriorcats, Wicked and Raider-K: thank you so much for your reviews!

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Tolkien's work, of course.

* * *

 **Chapter 15 - Falling, falling, falling ...**

Shannon and Legolas finally got some rest after seeing Marcus marched off to the airport with the design document. The confident Managing Director promised to message them the good news as soon as he finished his meeting with Mr Colin.

The news did arrive quickly. One day after landing in London, Marcus texted Karl and Shannon that their investor had literally fallen in love with Legolas' drawings instantly. He signed the contract and even wrote his cheque on the spot.

"We shall celebrate our initial success," declared Shannon excitedly as she dragged her Chief Designer to downtown for celebration. After making a few turns through crowded streets jammed with neon signs, they arrived a quieter district of the buzzing city. She stopped at a windowless front store where the large wall was all covered with vertical maple wood planks in various shades and thickness, illuminated by a thin row of focus lights from above.

"What is this place?" Legolas asked as he inspected the place, his eyes lingered on the artistic patterns and shadows across the wall of woods.

"It's a Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant. Remember last month I went out with some friends from high school? One of them recommended this place and it turned out to be terrific. I knew you would love it too," Shannon beamed.

"Why do they make the entrance so narrow?" His gaze now fell onto the far right where a small wooden door stood. It was made with the same material as the large collage of timber and one would easily oversaw it as part of the wall.

"It is not uncommon for high-end Japanese restaurants to have a rather secluded exterior and entrance. They don't need large advertisements or flashy designs. True gastronomists will know their way in," she winked and signalled him to follow her inside. After going through the small entrance, Legolas looked around with widened eyes and drank in his surroundings. A stark contrast with the exterior, the interior hallway was very spacious with high ceiling, large enough to accomodate a miniature garden. There was water tingling down stone fountains that were surrounded by light woods, bamboos and pebbles. The gently lit hallway was serene and filled with fragrance of woods, but Legolas knew the place was more populated than it had appeared; he could smell food and heard chatterings of men from the far end of the hallway behind doors and walls.

A middle-aged lady dressed in traditional kimono silently appeared and slowly bowed to them. Shannon conversed with the lady in a language Legolas did not recognise and soon the lady led them through the hallway. He found the place was indeed larger than it appeared, with many partitions each separated with wood and paper doors. They were led to a room at the far end, and inside was a large, polished wooden table and soft cushions on a smooth bamboo mat. He followed Shannon's instruction as he took off his boots, entered the room and knelt on one of the cushions. The simple yet sophisticated ambiance of the enclosed area was complemented with scrolls of ink paintings and stylishly arranged flowers. The lady defly produced two cups of green tea and menus. Shannon skimmed through it and ordered quickly in Japanese. A minute later the lady courteously bowed and exited quietly.

"You know their language?"

"Yes, I took Japanese at university," Shannon replied as she carefully sipped her hot green tea. "My mom is of East Asian descent. I always have a penchant for oriental culture which I feel connected with part of my ancestries."

"I can see that," her companion studied her unabashedly, "The angle of your eyes and shape of your mouth, they carry an exotic flair which I understand now that they are inherited from your Eastern lineage."

"Haha… well, I will take that as compliment then?" Shannon flushed slightly and tried to laugh away her embarrassment.

"Of course it is a compliment," Legolas stated seriously, "They are absolutely lovely."

"Erm...thank you." Shannon wasn't ignorant about her appearance and was not unfamiliar with men donning her compliments, but being flattered by a male who himself was leagues prettier than her… it just felt weird. "How about your world? Are there men from the East?"

"We had some contact with men from the East during wars. Most of them were our enemies as they served the Dark Lord," he grimly replied.

"Ouch... Were all of them on the bad side?"

"The men we confronted in the battlefields apparently were. However there were a small group of descendants of Easterlings residing in a town near the lake at the east of _Eryn Lasgalen_. They lived peacefully with the other men in town."

"Each country has both good and bad people," she shrugged, "Though your world seems to be more black and white. At least I don't remember we have leaders in modern history that would self-proclaimed as the 'Dark Lord' in public," she wrinkled her nose with disapproval, "It just won't go well with any effective propaganda." There was a gentle knock at the door and the lady entered with several small dishes of appetizers, all in eye-pleasing forms and colours. "Forget about politics," she announced cheerfully, "Today let me introduce to you one of the gems from the East."

"They look delightful," Legolas looked at the array of dishes appreciatively.

"Yes they are," Shannon agreed with a surge of pride. It was no easy task to impress an _edhel_ in areas of arts and crafts. "The chef here will only use the ingredients in season. You see the dishes? Each of them is hand made to accentuate the food by its unique colour and design. Now," Shannon held up the chopsticks and her eyes twinkled with excitement, "Before you can get a taste of oriental cuisine, you should first learn how to use chopsticks. These are the basic eating utensils from the East Asia." She showed him how to hold them in one hand. She then picked up a small pea lightly and popped it into her mouth. He imitated the way of how she held the two wooden sticks delicately between the fingers, and then he tried to pick up a sugared black bean in front of him. He managed to hold it up shakily for two seconds before dropping it. He tried again and failed. He looked up and saw Shannon grinned at him like a Cheshire cat.

Legolas arched his eyebrow, "Why I have a feeling you are enjoying what you are seeing?"

"Enjoying what?" Shannon blinked innocently.

"This," Legolas replied as he held up a bean with the chopsticks for a second before dropping it back into the dish.

"Don't be ridiculous," she waved her hand dismissively while broadened her smile. She wasn't going to tell Legolas that _this_ was one of the main reasons she picked this restaurant. It was getting rare to see the _edhel_ struggling with learning new things. While his smug look was down right sexy, it didn't sit well with her that the her supernatural friend seemed to excel instantly in nearly everything that she had struggled to learn.

Her victory was regrettably short-lived. "Practice makes perfect, I am sure you can…" she stopped her sentence midway as Legolas held up the bean again with chopsticks. This time the bean was held firmly between the sticks and it kept in place even Legolas waved the chopsticks casually up and down. He looked at her slyly and smirked at her stupefied expression.

"You are right. Practice does make perfect," he teased as he popped a few beans smoothly into his mouth.

"You...Ugggh! You _edhels_ are infuriating!" Shannon groused loudly. "You must have something similar back in _Enor_ and you had years to practise it! This is not fair!" Her cheeks were flushed as she pouted which Legolas found it incredibly adorable. He laughed merrily, "My friend Gimli will happily agree with you."

Gimli the dwarf. When Legolas first described his friend to Shannon, they had struggled a while to find the equivalent English translation for his friend's race, who were "shorter than men, stubborn, great warriors, and both male and female had beard". She nearly gave up the riddle-like description until he dropped a crucial hint - "they loved mining gems". Shannon quickly grabbed her iPad and showed a picture she searched from Internet. It was a screencap of the seven dwarves from the Disney Snow White movie. Legolas studied the picture for a few seconds and then barked out pearls of laughter. The _edhel_ further bent forward and dissolved into a laughing fit as Shannon showed him the video of the dwarves marched and sang "Heigh ho" in the mines. She was quite sure his friend Gimli would not find the video as entertaining.

"Gimli must be a big-hearted fellow to be able to put up with you," she grumbled.

"Yes," Legolas chuckled, "He is especially open-minded amongst his kin."

There was another knock at the door and this time the lady presented them a large wooden ship with assorted colourful sashimi laid out stylishly on top.

"These are raw fish," stated Legolas flatly.

"Yes, these are called sashimi in Japanese," Shannon confirmed while she poured soya sauce into their small dishes. _Here comes challenge number two._

"How are we going to cook them?"

"Cook?" Shannon giggled, "No, we just eat them as they are. Like this." She took some wasabi and spreaded on a piece of tuna, dipped the tuna lightly into the sauce and put it into her mouth.

"You eat them raw?" Horror was plain across his handsome face.

"Yes of course! Don't worry, sashimi are made from the freshest fishes and were carefully cut by expert. Chefs need to master their skills for more than ten years before they are allowed to prepare a sashimi boat like this." She pointed to a light pink piece of sashimi, "This one is called toro, the best of the best part of tuna. Try it!" Legolas kept glaring at the raw fish in distaste and did not move an inch. "Come on," Shannon rolled her eyes, "Even we fragile human can eat them without problem. Oh!" she covered her mouth with a feigned look of concern, "Are these too much for your _edhel_ 's delicate stomach? Are you scared of a piece of DEAD fish?"

"You sounded too much like him," Legolas mumbled. He carefully picked up the toro with some wasabi and dipped it into the sauce. He hesitated for a few seconds, took one more glance at Shannon who was smirking at him, then put the whole piece into his mouth in one go. His eyes widened immediately as he chewed slowly and gave nods of approval.

"How's it? Can you feel it melting on your tongue?" Shannon asked eagerly.

Legolas swallowed the sashimi and admitted, "That was… unexpected."

Shannon grinned triumphantly. "I can't wait to see you try other oriental cuisine! You will be surprised by how serious men can get with their food." Dish after dish the serving lady kept presenting to them, and Legolas heartily praised and enjoyed each of the exotic food.

"Oh by the way," Shannon said casually, "The bill for the food tonight will be deducted from your salary, as a celebration of your first paycheck earned in this world."

Legolas frowned, "I don't need salary. I think we have agreed to that."

"I didn't agree, I relented," she pointed out as she munched her crispy tempura shrimp. "I don't care, I will still save up your salary and someday I will find a way to stuff the money back into your pocket."

Legolas sighed in defeat, "How about you count it as my payment for my accommodation and living expenses?"

"You have no idea how much you have earned from this job. And other than the little food you eat you basically spend on nothing. At this rate you probably need a decade to empty your account."

"So be it."

Shannon's heart skipped a beat. _A decade. Does he mean to stay with me for a decade?_ _Whoa stop it, stop right there_ , she mentally slapped herself, _there is no way he has other implications_. She took a quick glance at him before stuffing another piece of fried shrimp into her mouth. _He is from another species, an immortal. It is already a miracle we can be friends. Don't even think there can be more than that_ , and she effectively crushed whatever little hope that had sprang in her heart.

The rest of the dinner continued in merriment, both satisfied and in high spirit as they left the restaurant.

It was already midnight when they arrived home. When Shannon got off her car, she felt an icy touch caressing her cheek. She looked up and squeaked in excitement, "Legolas! Legolas! See? It's snowing! The first snow in winter!" She waved at him eagerly while jumping up and down. Legolas chuckled and walked to her side.

"You love snow?"

"Yes," her eyes continued to gaze upwards, tracing the swirling patterns of falling snowflakes. "I think they are one of the most beautiful creation by God."

"Yes … charming indeed," murmured Legolas, who instead of looking at the frozen fractals he was admiring at the _adaneth_ in front, silently imprinting her exuberant allure into his memory.

"You know what, when I was small I used to love an animation called 'The Snowman' so much that I kept watching it again and again even I always cried my eyes out in the end."

"What was the story about?"

"The story was simple: one winter day a little boy built a snowman. At night the snowman came to life, befriended the boy and they had a wonderful adventure. The next morning the boy found the snowman melted under the sun."

"That doesn't sound like a happy story for children."

"No it is not," she gave him a sad smile briefly before turning her gaze back to the fluttering ice crystals in the air. "But the story is still beloved by generations, children and adults alike. You can't help wishing you were that boy with the snowman even the ending was so heartbreaking."

"Even it will end tragically?" asked the _edhel_ quietly.

"Nothing will stay forever in this material world, no matter how dearly you hold onto it," she left out a soft sigh and cast her eyes down. "This is what we human have to learn since we were small." She paused for a moment and continued, "But that's what life is about, right? Since nothing is constant, that means there are possibilities. Within the short period between life and death, we continue to strive for happiness against all the sorrows and regrets being thrown to us." They fell silent again, both absorbing in their own thoughts. Shannon skipped a few steps away on the lightly snowed pavement and turned to her companion again, "In the animation they had this beautiful song called 'Walking in the Air'. Do you want to listen?"

"I'd love to."

Shannon smiled, closed her eyes briefly and began to sing. Her voice came out soft and lovely. She swung her body gently along the sentimental melody, her long dark hair swayed and gleamed by the porch lights behind. Snowflakes danced and glittered around her before landed lightly on her flowing hair, decking it like stars adorning the winter sky. Legolas' throat went dry and hardly remembered how to breathe; it was the loveliest sight he had ever behold. Enchanted and acted by pure instinct, his legs carried him towards his siren before he noticed.

Shannon concentrated with her singing and was oblivious to her surroundings. When she finished and finally opened her eyes again, she found herself standing extremely close in front of Legolas. She craned her neck and her heartbeat quickened as she looked up. _Are they so bright before?_ Shannon gasped. The _edhel's_ eyes were so bright as if there were flames burning through them; they were both frightening and divinely beautiful.

"Legolas?" her voice came out less steady as she had wished. The intensity of his feverish gaze made her shuddered. Silently and slowly, he slipped one hand behind her neck, another hand reaching the small of her back, pulling her closer. _What?_ Shannon's mind went blank and froze on spot. She shivered under his warm touch and her heart was threatening to fail in any minute. Their face had never been so close before, close enough to allow her to see there were actually small flecks of blue in his stormy eyes.

"Breathtaking", Legolas whispered huskily, sending another chill down her spine. His eyes flickered to her lips and slowly lowered his head, down and down until his lips were only an inch apart from hers. _What?_ Still confused yet unwilling to pull away, Shannon braced herself from what seemed to be inevitable.

However he stopped. Instead, he slowly pulled his hand away from her neck, brought forward a strand of hair and tenderly kissed it. _What?_ Shannon was totally caught off guard. When he looked up again, his gaze lost most of its previous heat and logic seemed to reign again. "You sang beautifully," Legolas praised. He gently released her hair and pulled away from her. Her body missed his warmth immediately. "It had been a while since I took a walk in a snowy night," the _edhel_ continued and gazed afar, "May you excuse me, and good night." _What?_ Legolas swiftly walked past her, and by the time Shannon turned around, he had already disappeared into thin air, leaving not a trace on the snowy pavement. Shannon's mind raced and her breath was shallow, partly due to previous excitement and more now caused by confusion and annoyance.

Finding no words to express her frustration, she could only scream at the dark, empty space.

* * *

 **Sindarin-to-English Translation:**

Adaneth: Mortal woman

Edhel : Elf

Ennor : Middle-Earth

Eryn Lasgalen : Later name of Mirkwood in Fourth Age


	16. Dancing between Logic and Emotion

**Writer's Notes:**

Apologies to all my dear readers who have been waiting for the update. I kept rewriting this chapter in order to get the right flow and tone. Hope you will like this chapter and please please~~ review. All your comments and encouragement are great motivation for me to drive this story forward! Enjoy and have a great day =)

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Tolkien's work, of course.

* * *

 **Chapter 16 - Dancing between Logic and Emotion**

It was that dream again. Though Shannon could not recall the detail once woke up, she knew it was _the dream_ when she was in it. It had a recurrent theme, but each time something new seemed to be added to it. Yet every time she tried to depict what she was seeing she would wake up with her dream shrouded by haze once again. This time as well, as she got up from her bed reflecting, all she could remember were flashes of green and white and purple. _Why green and white and purple?_ Shannon wondered if she needed to pay a visit to a psychiatrist. _I might need to_ , she groaned and facepalmed, _especially after yesterday…Yesterday..!_ She jerked and jumped out of bed, rushed to the door and ran down to the kitchen.

There he was, the person who had hastily exited their almost kiss scene and disappeared for whole night, was now standing inside her kitchen cooking breakfast. Legolas had his hair tied up in a low ponytail looking casual and relaxed, even _human_ at the first glance.

"You are back," murmured Shannon.

"Good morning," greeted her housemate with a genuine smile. Ignoring Shannon's dumbfounded expression, he continued while expertly whisking the pancake batter, "Breakfast will be ready in 15 minutes. You can take your time to freshen up." Shannon was immediately aware what a sorry state she must be appearing. "Okay…" Unconsciously combing her tousled hair, she slowly returned to her room, her mind jumbling with mixed up thoughts and emotions. Was the chemistry she felt yesterday all her imagination? Or maybe the extremely close proximity was still fairly decent and acceptable in his world, in spite of how medieval it appeared? Or it all happened due to sudden impulse, a spontaneous act of passion that should have nothing entailed? Dozen of questions swirled inside her head while she went through her morning rituals.

 _Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz_.

Reaching for her iPhone, she wondered who would call her early in the morning. She did a double take at the call display and contemplated for a whole 5 seconds before answering.

"Hi," mumbled Shannon.

"Hi, good morning. How are you doing?"

Shannon rolled her eyes, "Oh quit that, Marcus. Just go straight to the point."

"Right..." Marcus cleared his throat and Shannon raised her eyebrow. It was rare to witness the mighty leader showing signs of discomfort. She mentally crosses her fingers and hoped nothing went astray with their fundings again. "You remember the name Trevor DuPonts?"

"Trevor DuPonts? Heir of the Avillon Group?"

"Yes. He will be in town and will hold a charity ball at the Ritz on Christmas Eve."

"Okay," she drawled.

"And he personally invites us to attend."

"You mean he personally invites _you_. You are the head of the company, not me," Shannon corrected. Not that she minded. Even when their relationship had turned to a bad end, she would still openly admit that Marcus was the best in leading the company among their trio. She tilted her head, "There have been rumours that he wants to tap into eSports. He had engaged in quite a lengthy discussion with the CEO of Casper last month at the game conference in Seattle. And now he invites you," she paused and tapped her chin thoughtfully, "I don't think that is a coincidence."

Marcus grinned and silently applauded for his ex-fiancé's sharp-wit. Now he understood that beauty and intelligence didn't frequently mix, and he was such a lucky guy to have a girl that had both. "I don't think so too. I expect we will have some nice business chat with him at the ball."

"Good. Anything you need from me? We won't have a playable prototype before end of January, but I can ask the team to make a little demo for your to show DuPonts at the ball…"

"No no, I don't need demo," he interrupted, "I want you … to go to the ball with me … as my partner."

"Why me?" Shannon frowned immediately, "Ask Karl."

"Karl has promised Nat to go to Italy with her and will be leaving on the 23rd."

"I haven't heard him mention this before."

"It was kind of a sudden decision. I only got to know it one day before you do."

"Still..." slightly peeved by the sudden interruption of her holiday plan, she continued her argument, "That can't justify why I have to go with you. I am sure there are plenty of girls in your phone list for you to choose from."

"I don't..."

"Or," ignoring his protest, she shrugged and continued "Just grab any girl from our company. Ask around and I am sure more than a dozen will be eager to go with you..."

"I don't want any random girl…"

"...and I can help you to shortlist a few good candidates..."

"Oh Shannon… please! Can you stop for a sec?" Marcus ran a hand along his hair and tried to control his temper, "I… we need you to be there."

"Why _?_ " She retorted defiantly.

"Because it is a logical thing to do," Marcus explained with as much patience as he could gather. "As you have mentioned, Trevor DuPonts can be our potential investor and we should give our best shot at this initial meeting. It is a show of respect to him that not only me but also our Production Manager attend his ball." Shannon listened in silence, which Marcus considered as a positive sign that she was gradually seeing reason. "And more to that…" he carefully maneuvered, "You know ever since we 'separated', there were speculations regarding the stability of our company. These rumours have not died down yet. If we can show up publicly as partner, it will definitely help to crush the remaining hearsay."

Shannon continued to stay mute but Marcus knew she had been following him. She was a woman of reason; as long as he trod carefully and laid down all the supporting factors in front of her, she would usually side with the most logical conclusion and crushed down her own feelings.

On the other end of the phone, Shannon had an inkling what Marcus was luring her into. She was well aware of the sudden shift of attitude he had towards her recently. In the past he would refrain from contacting her directly and would do so mostly through her secretary, but now he seemed to grasp every opportunity to text or call her. He would try to ask her out for lunch or dinner whenever his tightly packed schedule allowed, which she would automatically declined 90% of them just for her peace of mind. However Marcus, being the astute businessman he was well-known of, quickly saw through her defence and worked around for loopholes. His recent tactic was that whenever Legolas was not in office and she was not occupied with lunch arrangements, Marcus would just barge into her office with a grin and two lunch boxes in hand. The timing was so meticulously calculated that Shannon highly suspected the crafty man had bribed her secretary in leaking her schedule even though she had stressed several times that she wanted to spend her lunchtime alone. It was hard for her to turn down his offer when she was indeed famishing in her office alone and the lunch boxes he offered were well chosen to suit her taste.

She was determined to concentrate solely on her food and engaged as few conversations with him as possible, so usually Marcus would do most of the talking during these impromptu lunch engagements. He was surprisingly patient with her silent treatments and wouldn't mind giving monologues about his recent being as well as work, sports, politics, latest movies, and other topics that he knew Shannon was interested and would be listening even she appeared to be otherwise. His persistence seemed to pay off gradually as her hostility towards him was visibly lowered, and if he was lucky enough his ex-lover might occasionally graced him a small smile, which Marcus would considered victory of the day. However, she was still extremely weary of him and uncertain of what was his true motive behind his sudden advancement. She knew he was single now which he had been oh-so-obviously hinted numerous times, but if he thought that he could get her fill up his temporarily empty love life and even warm his bed by bugging her, she would have to reassess his level of intelligence.

And this time as well, no matter how masterful he had presented the ball as a business opportunity highly beneficial to their company, she knew that there was hidden agenda there. In plain words, he wanted to bring her to a date at Christmas Eve. He probably had recruited Karl as his wingman again and she wouldn't be surprised he actually bought the tickets for Karl and Nat in order to send them away and justify his reasoning. _What a cunning man_ , she snorted. This was the same man she used to love and then hate. And what's next? What was her feeling towards him now?

Shannon pinched the bridge of her nose. So many conflicting emotions to deal with, and tackling emotions was never her fortes. For now, she would just opt for the most sensible decision, albeit how it might have contradicted with her heart.

"Shannon? Are you still with me?"

"Yes..." she heaved a sigh in defeat.

Back at the kitchen Legolas had finished setup the table. By the light shuffling sound from his human friend's room, he knew she was coming down and he moved to pour her tea.

"You have decided to go?" he enquired as he gently put her teacup and saucer onto the table.

"I thought you've said before you would try not to eavesdrop in this house," Shannon pouted as she sat down.

"I tried, but I couldn't help it if you were yelling from your room."

"I just raised my voice a tiny bit… okay, that might already have counted as yelling by your people," she muttered. "And yes, I told him I will go."

"It's business," he remarked.

"Yes, it's business," she echoed.

And they both knew it was not. Shannon took a quick glance at her companion, who was silently working on his food in perfect etiquette. _He never gave a comment regarding me and Marcus_ , she reflected. Not a single word or gesture at all to indicate whether he approved or disapproved. She had once concluded that her supernatural friend had no interest in her love life. But then how to explain what had happened between them yesterday?

"Not liking your food?"

"Huh?" Shannon abruptly looked up, then followed his gaze back to her plate. The once perfectly formed omelette was now mercilessly shredded into pieces by her fork. "Oh...the food is great of course… as usual," she replied and stuffed a piece into her mouth.

"Decided what to wear for the dance?"

"I will just grab the one I have from my cupboard…" she munched and then stopped. She did have a stunning blue evening gown at the farthest end of her walk-in closet which she had bought many years ago and had received high compliments from her then boyfriend. She could already imagine Marcus' smug grin if he saw her in that dress again. "You know what," Shannon swallowed and continued, "I might want to get a new one."

Legolas nodded, "Do you need a helping hand in looking for your dress?"

"You wanna help? You don't mind? I know most guys regard shopping clothes with girls as ultimate torture."

"I think that theory applies to the other races in _Ennor_ too," he chuckled. "Yet my people loves any form of art and beauty. And a good piece of artwork requires time and patience."

"Oh my, I am flattered," she giggled as he slightly bowed in return. "I will recruit you as my personal designer then." Shannon knew it would be a brilliant idea as the _edhel_ 's exquisite taste was beyond doubt.

The only loophole in her recruitment plan was that her designer came from a medieval world.

Hours later inside a high-end evening gown boutique at Birkdale, Shannon found herself engaged in a debate with her freshly appointed fashion designer regarding what was considered appropriate to wear at a ball.

"This is scandalous," repeated Legolas the umpteenth time.

"It is NOT," countered Shannon exasperatedly as she waved the shimmery black satin in her hand. "And you didn't say a thing when I first pull this dress out! Why you changed your opinion all of a sudden?"

"I had mistaken this," he pointed at the top of the dress, "as the back."

Shannon looked down at the dress. It had a jewel studded spaghetti strap top with one side significantly lower than the other side. The higher side went slightly lower than shoulder and the lower side went down to a few inches above the belly. No wonder the _edhel_ mistook the back as the front.

"The lower side should be the front instead. I have double checked with the sale assistant. The neckline is low but not too outrageous when you compare it to what actresses wear at the Oscar red carpet."

"Why do girls in this world like to bare their chest?" Legolas shook his head in disbelief.

"Because this is our body, we like to show off what we have and it is legal to do so?" suggested Shannon. _Oh my this sounded so much like the conversation with Dad about my prom dress._ "Come on! How long have you been on Earth and you still haven't get used to our fashion?"

"There are many things in this world that I will never get used to."

Shannon felt a small pang in her heart. Maybe she shouldn't get him to pick dress with her in the first place. _No_ , she reflected, _asking for his advice is not a problem, but persuading him to accept my choice is apparently wrong_.

Quick to amend her error, she changed her approach, "How about you pick one for me? Let's see what you think will suit me." Legolas took a quick glance around, and headed straight to a corner at the far end. Shannon half expected him to pull out some modest, high collar dress. The gown that her designer retrieved however totally surprised her.

"It is … red," she uttered.

"Yes, it is red."

"This is so red…" _I sounded like an idiot._ "I mean… I wonder how much red pigment did the manufacturer pour in to come up with such a vibrant colour."

"It is a beautiful shade of red," agreed Legolas, "And it compliments well with your complexion."

It was indeed the most gorgeous color she had ever seen. The A-line gown had off-shoulder neckline, slim on top and flared softly at the waist. The dress was a perfect manifestation of simple-but-elegant; no other decorations or jewels were needed as the gown itself was overpowering enough.

"Won't it be a bit too bold?" Shannon gulped.

"Bold?" Legolas gave her a quizzical look, "Why would you find this gown bold while you think that black dress with plunging neckline acceptable?"

Shannon didn't want to go back to discuss how much flesh one should expose in public with someone who believed skirt one inch above knees was flirtatious. Avoiding his question, she continued, "The color is too eye catching."

"I thought that is one of the motives to dress up for such occasions."

"Well…" she licked her lips anxiously, "I am not sure if I can handle it. I am not an actress or celebrity or some Disney princess."

Seeing through her insecurities, Legolas comforted her, "I think you have underrated yourself." He took a step forward, "You said you trust my artistic sense. This dress will only accentuates your beauty." Shannon looked at him doubtfully, obviously not buying in. He continued his persuasion, "How about you try it on first?"

Shannon stood irresolute. Finally she gave a slight nod and received the gown from Legolas. Before she disappeared behind the changing room door, she gave him a final glance and Legolas returned with an encouraging smile.

Moments later Shannon came out in the red gown. "So… how is it?" She asked nervously as her hands tried to smooth some invisible creases on her dress. Her companion remained silent. _Am I looking so horrible?_ She swirled and anxiously searched the nearby mirror.

In the mirror she found her own image yet strangely unfamiliar with. Usually to maintain her highly professional image, she had filled her wardrobe with business suits and clothes in cool or natural tones. Smart, level-headed and efficient were the images she tried to portray in the male-dominated industry. And now, who was this girl in the mirror, looking so feminine and sensual?

"Mesmerized by your own beauty?" Hummed the _edhel_ near her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "This has indeed exceeded my expectation."

"This … this is so different from what I usually wear. It feels … " She looked up at the mirror and met Legolas' intense gaze in the reflection. "It feels awkward," she admitted.

Legolas didn't respond immediately. Instead his hands started to caress her long hair, a habit he had recently developed which Shannon wondered if he ever noticed. "We choose our outfit for different occasions. I don my armour for wars. You wear your suits for work."

"To my battlefield."

"Yes," he grinned. "And this," he bent lower with his lips nearly touching her ear, "Is what you would wear to let that ungrateful man regret what he had given up."

Shannon turned to him and gasped in surprise, "That doesn't sound like you!" Legolas arched his elegant eyebrow in response. "I would have thought you would say something like: revenge is unwise and childish, you ought to let go, free your heart from hatred blah blah blah."

Legolas chuckled, "That only shows how little you know about my people's history." Seeing his little friend opening her mouth ready to retort, he quickly added, "And yes, you don't understand because I haven't told you much."

"Enlighten me then."

"It will take several long nights to give you a brief overview. As for now, just remember that in terms of emotions we are not much different from men. Only that we have very, very long memory and we are steadfast with our feelings."

"So in short, your people hold grudges for long?" She deadpanned.

"You are a quick learner, aren't you?" He approved with a dazzling smile. Shannon harrumphed and turned back to the mirror. "But don't mistaken us as unforgiving, my dear friend. We are generous by nature, it just takes time to heal the wounds. Unfortunately our brief rehabilitation of heart meant generations for the other races."

"How about love? How long can an _edhel_ stay in love?"

"We only marry once, so essentially our bond stays as long as _Arda_ exists."

"As long as _Arda_ exists … that is beyond my imagination."

"Immortality is not your burden to bear. The woes of mortal life are heavy enough upon your shoulders." He gently held her hands and pulled them near his heart. "My _adaneth_ , allow me to give you one small advice?"

"Sure."

"Choose carefully for whom to take as your spouse. It is not only a union of two hearts, but also the union of two souls, two lives, and two families till the end of life. Do not let momentary emotions cloud your judgement."

"Momentary emotions?"

Legolas smiled sadly, raised her hand and kissed the knuckles, "You are a wise woman. You will understand." Releasing her hand, he turned to the door, "Take your time and get changed. I will wait for you outside."

Shannon watched the _edhel_ leaving in silence. Unlike yesterday night, this time she didn't stop him but was left with even more questions to ponder.

* * *

 **Sindarin-to-English Translation:**

Adaneth: Mortal woman

Arda: Earth

Edhel : Elf

Ennor: Middle-Earth


	17. Breaking

**Disclaimer** : I do not own Tolkien's work. And yes I don't know Sindarin so please don't grill me on Elvish grammar (lol)

* * *

 **Chapter 17 - Breaking**

Winter was in its full glory now. Trees were stripped naked and lands were laid barren. Yet by the grace and mercy of nature everything was now covered by a luxury sheen of white snow, a perfect complement to the striking azure sky. Shannon loved winter; even the temperature had dropped ridiculously low in this near arctic country, as a Canadian she had long learnt to embrace this formidable season, for both its harsh climate and divine beauty. Not to mention that as Christmas was drawing near, the little girl inside her couldn't help bouncing with excitement.

This year however Shannon was not in good mood, though apparently there was no reason for her to feel somber. Her project continued to forge ahead, with the game initial teaser already earned overwhelmingly positive reviews and had ranked the most anticipated online RPG game of the coming year. Her personal life seemed to be blooming too, with everyone believed she was caught in the middle of a torrid love triangle between the handsome mysterious blonde and her ex-fiancé. No one would have known how obscure the relationship was between her and the aforementioned designer.

Days with the _edhel_ continued as before, but it was painfully obvious that something was off between them. Legolas still accompanied her day and night at work and home. He was still fun and caring, always attentive to her needs. Yet in their daily conversations some topics were noticeably avoided: their almost kiss at the snowy night, his love advice at the dressing room, her and Marcus, and most of all, her and Legolas himself.

Her housemate had deliberately steered clear from these sensitive topics, but this could only be done by the cooperation of Shannon. Unlike Marcus who excelled in playing mind games or Legolas who mastered the art of subtlety, Shannon preferred bringing issues to light and tackling problems directly. Nevertheless, this time she hesitated to confront the _edhel_.

 _Momentary emotions._

The phrase had been echoing in her head ever since then. The conversation beforehand should be about her ex-fiancé, but the phrase seemed to be rather awkward when applying to them as her relationship with Marcus was far from momentary; she had practically been with him for nearly half of her life. So by logical deduction one could easily see who the _edhel_ was referring to.

He was implying her feelings with him.

 _Momentary emotions._

How could it not be? Everything related to men were fleeting in the eyes of _edhel_. She knew Legolas wasn't disparaging her. He was just making objective comments from his perspective as an immortal with no ill intentions.

Yet his words still pierced her heart. She was just about to aware her feelings towards him, and would have wanted to cherish this new found seedling of love. The little sprout was regrettably short-lived; it was brutally crushed by his response, no matter how evasively he had done so. The most unbearable part above all was that she couldn't help but agree he had made the right decision in pushing her away. If she had to create a pros and cons list for their relationship, while she was stuck to start for the first line on the pros-side, the cons-side could go endless. _That's reality_ , she kept telling herself. The insurmountable distance between two races, two _species_...

"Hello~~ Shannon? Earth to Shannon!"

Shannon snapped back from the melancholy bubble that she frequently wrapped herself into these days. She felt briefly disorientated as she searched around trying to grasp her bearing. She found herself staring at the changing room mirror and wearing nothing on top except for a fancy girdle.

"Did you got stuck in the zipper? I can come in and give you a helping hand!" Called the joyous female voice which made no attempt to hide the snickering outside the door.

"I...I wasn't stuck!" Shannon hissed back embarrassingly as she fumbled with her clothes. A minute later, she came out from the changing room and glowered at the woman who was leaning casually against the opposite wall brimming with amusement. "It fits perfectly," emphasized Shannon in last attempt of saving some face for herself.

"Come on, I am just a tad~ bit worried after seeing you gobbled up that super sized burger at lunch. Normal girls should have some self-awareness and on diet before attending balls," her companion eyed her in feign exasperation, "But seems like Mother Nature always has some favorites."

Shannon rolled her eyes. _You have no idea how partial Mother Nature can be._ "Alright. I confess I had to take a few deep breaths before I could zip up this torturing device." She winked at her, "Will that sooth your mind?"

Her friend laughed lightly as she swung an arm around Shannon, "Actually I am fine if the blessed one happens to be my personal favorite too."

Shannon beamed affectionately at her friend Jessica. A long time friend since grade 3, she had been a constant in Shannon's life. Even they entered different universities and career, the two still stayed close and had each other's back on the ups and downs in life. Shannon turned to the nearby staff and handed out the girdle, "I will take this one."

"Wait, what other color do you have?" Jessica asked the staff.

"Other than beige we have black and pink."

"Pink, please."

"Sure. Let me get you a new one at the counter."

Shannon kept silent for the whole conversation and only turned to her friend once the staff departed, "Why pink? Isn't beige more practical?"

"Beige is boring and black is too provocative. Not to mention pink coordinates well with your red gown. Oh, and make sure you wear matching panties too."

"Who cares about color coordination of my underwear?" Shannon was genuinely puzzled as she passed her credit card to the staff at the cashier.

"You should be! It will be anti-climax when guys find you in some tasteless granny underwear after peeling you off from that gorgeous gown."

Shannon turned to looked at Jessica sternly, "Such 'guy' won't exist. Let me remind you again that this event is straightly business and NOTHING will ever happen afterwards."

"Ow come on! It's Christmas Eve for crying out loud! Can't you allow yourself to have some fun?"

"I will eventually. After I come back home, alone." Shannon replied nonchalantly as they exited the shop and heading towards her car which was parked a block away. One of their mutual friend was holding a party at a pub, and the girls had met up during the day to do some last minute Christmas shopping. They were going to drop their bags in Shannon's car and then head to the gathering venue which was within walking distance. Though it was only late afternoon night had already descended. Streets were getting quiet and vintage street lamps casted long shadows along the pebbled roads.

"Why are you so eager to go back home after the party? Oh! I see..." Jessica wiggled her eyebrow suggestively, "Legolas is waiting for you at home?" She half-expected her conservative friend to blush or stutter, but instead she found her face devoid of emotion

"No, we don't have plan. I mean… I don't know if he has any plan for the night."

"Why don't you ask him then? Aren't you guys living under the same roof?"

Shannon shrugged. "That doesn't mean we have to join at the hips." She knew if she asked Legolas would surely accompany her everywhere for the sake of courtesy. "Perhaps he wants some private time as well? He is already stuck with me everyday due to work."

Her friend frowned at her words, "You sounded like a chore for him to stay around you."

"He is just too ... chivalrous to leave me with my work." They finally reached the car and unloaded their bags. Jessica still looked confused, "Okay… so you believe that he do all these for you not because he likes you but just that he is too gentleman to reject?"

"Something like that," Shannon replied softly as she closed the door and locked it. Her dispirited voice further worried her friend.

Jessica put a hand out and turned Shannon towards her, "But the point is you like him, right?"

Shannon was visibly shaken by her friend's bluntness but she managed to keep her gaze unfaltering. There was no point to deny it anymore. "Yes, I like him." She admitted, her voice barely noticeable.

Her companion practically wanted to shake her, "Then go and tell him! Flirt and seduce him! If he is not making any move than YOU make the move!"

"Who says I haven't tried?" Shannon rebuked instantly. Maybe not up to the acceptable standard of her friend but she was sure the highly intelligent _edhel_ got all her hints. "He's… he's just not interested." Her shoulders slumped as she turned to leave, hoping to escape from this painful conversation altogether. Jessica tagged along, her brain racing for words to soothe and comfort her upset friend. She knew her well; on the outside Shannon was a confident, successful business woman, but deep down she was an innocent girl wishing only for the simplest form of love. That was why she suffered the blow so hard when Marcus left her. She had literally shut herself up for days and Jessica shuddered as she recalled how she had to break into her house and dragged her out from her bed. Why was her best friend so bad in luck for men? Jessica couldn't help but sighed to herself. She knew Shannon was amazing. To be frank at some point of life in her younger days she was secretly jealous of her beautiful friend, who seemed to possess all the ideal attributes that many girls would die for. Yet now it seemed that her friend just tended to fall for the wrong guy who would make her life miserable.

They walked silently for a while. Jessica eventually snuck a glance at her friend and continued, "So… why do you think he rejects you? Does he have someone already?"

"No, he said he is single."

"Err...is he gay?"

Shannon nearly tripped. She quickly regained her posture and couldn't help giggling a little despite of the dour mood, "No! No… I am positive he is straight."

"So do you know why?"

"We haven't really talked about it plainly, but I can guess." Shannon inhaled and paused a while before continued, "I am … just not enough for him." And that was an understatement, she thought to herself. She was totally out of the league.

Jessica didn't like the sound of it at all. "Who is he? A fucking royalty? Tch... Even if he is one you are still perfectly eligible." Shannon knew her loyal friend's comments were heavily biased but she couldn't help feeling grateful for her friend's staunch if not blind support. She couldn't tell her friend that in truth it was her own fault for pining over something unreachable. Regrettably her words had led her friend to paint a rather arrogant image of Legolas, yet she found no way to clear the misunderstanding without taking the risk of spilling the _edhel_ 's secret.

"I am just not his type. It's not his fault." She tried to give her a small, reassuring smile, "And I have accepted it." Jessica said no more. She wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulder to show her understanding and the pair continued to their destination in comfortable silence.

Minutes later they arrived the pub which was heavily decorated with Christmas theme. The ambience was perfect. Cozy and not too crowded, with no deafening music and blinding lights. They were greeted instantly by the host who had led them further to the group of guests. A bit chit-chat and light conversations, Shannon had enjoyed the distraction for a while until she was a bit tired and decided to reside near a quiet corner at the bartender table.

"Are you okay staying here by yourself?" Jessica enquired with genuine concern.

"Of course! I just need some rest." Shannon tilted her head a little and looked behind Jessica. "They are calling you. You should go and join them."

"You sure you want to stay here instead?" Shannon nodded with a smile. "Okay… so stay put. Don't let some random guys drag you anywhere, okay?" Her friend chucked and nodded some more. As Jessica walked away, she spun around and gave one more advice, "And don't drink too much! You don't hold you drinks well!" Shannon rolled her eyes. Why people around her had so little faith in her ability to hold liquor? She turned to the bartender and eagerly requested a drinking menu, unaware that she had already attracted a few pairs of prying eyes.

* * *

Moving through the crowd, Jessica wanted to take a peek at her friend and make sure she was still there. She had just bumped into an ex-colleague by accident and had quite a lengthy catch-up. Squeezing her way out she finally neared the bartender table and searched for her friend.

 _Damn it_. She found her, but there were also at least three unknown male surrounding Shannon. To her distaste they had hovered over her friend way too close. She quickly closed off the distance and raised her voice as cheerfully as she could be, "Hey Shannon! Sorry for keep you waiting." She elbowed her way and stood beside her, earning a low disgruntled noise from the nearby men. To her utter dismay these men didn't take their cue and leave them alone.

"Oh… Hi Jess~~" Shannon turned to her languidly and gave her a dazzling smile. "I have met some new frie~nds!" She slurred as she waved lazily around her.

 _Oh shit, she is completely drunk!_ "Oh yeah? Well, we've got to go…" She tried to pull Shannon up but she forcefully refused.

"No!" Shannon pouted and banged the table, "I haven't finished my drink. This one is rea~~lly good. It's called Moscow Moon.." " _Mule_. Moscow _Mule_ ," supplied the man at her right. "Right… Moscow _Muuuule_. Great recommendation." She held her cup up and the the man grinned and toasted in return.

 _Moscos Mule… the one with voldka? No wonder…_ Jessica glared at the man whose eyes fixed on her friend rather crudely. This was not good. How could she get Shannon out of the pub safely without these men hindering? They obviously showed no intention to back off. Just then, she spotted a flashing light coming from Shannon's handbag. She discreetly took it out and squinted at the screen. The name appeared took her by surprise, and with a few seconds contemplation she decided to take the chance and pressed the answer button.

Jessica continued to form a human barrier for her friend, sandwiched herself between Shannon and the unwelcomed men. Should she continue to wait? Or should she just called out to the other guests for help? She didn't want to alarm the host and made a scene though. She was too busied with planning their escape route that she failed to notice the gasping and squeaking noises rising from behind. The man sitting right across Shannon took this moment and grasped Shannon's hand. Appalled by his brash manner Jessica shouted at him, "Get…"

"Get your hand off her."

A clear, masculine voice, sonorous yet laced with threat, thundered from behind. Everyone snapped at the direction where the voice came from. Jessica whirled around quickly and froze at the the spot. A few paces away stood a tall, pale male with platinum blonde hair and piercing gray eyes. _Oh my gosh, those eyes…_ Jessica shivered instinctively. How could there be eyes so hauntingly beautiful yet frightening at the same time? His stance seemed casual with both hands in his pockets, but the aura emitted from him was screaming the otherwise. People around backed off from him subconsciously, marveling and fearing him at the same time. The mysterious male kept glaring dangerously at the man in front of Shannon, and the man finally woke from his trance and released her hand as if she was scorching him. Slowly the blonde approached the table, and all the men scrambled up and put as much distance from him as possible. All except the two girls, one of them mumbling something incoherent over the table and the other gulped at their saviour.

"Are … are you Legolas?" Jessica stuttered anxiously.

Gray eyes shifted to her immediately and to Jessica's immense relief they softened significantly, "Yes I am. You are Jessica?"

"Yes."

Upon her confirmation Legolas gazes further warmed up and a small smile graced his handsome face, "Thank you." He slightly dipped his head with such grace that made Jessica blushed involuntarily.

"It's nothing. Well...I have to thank you too, really. The timing of your call was just perfect. Honestly I didn't know how we..." she glanced at her near unconscious friend and corrected, "...how _she_ could manage to leave this place in one piece." Legolas frowned at the state his human friend had got herself into and the empty glasses scattering in front.

"Those men drugged her with alcohol?" He asked disdainfully. By the time the men who had gathered around had already quickly disbursed.

"Sort of… they seemed to encourage her to keep drinking." Jessica gasped and quickly came to her friend's defence, "Shannon isn't alcoholic! She usually takes only a few sip. I don't know what caught her and she kept drinking…" She stopped and peered at him awkwardly. Legolas face went blank. A brief silence fell in as both got the idea as of why the usually level-headed girl would like to drink herself to oblivion. Legolas shook her shoulder gently and softly called her name but she didn't respond. Jessica watched as he brushed the strands of hair off her friend's face, his long slender fingers fondled her cheeks affectionately. He was still frowning and his eyes were loaded with a mixture of emotions. Was it affection? Disappointment? And… Guilt? Jessica paused her analysis and took a step back as the tall blonde bent down and picked Shannon up. He made it so effortlessly as if he was only holding a newborn. He grabbed her long fleece coat and gingerly wrapped around her.

"You guys are leaving? Let me show you where her car is parked."

"That is not necessary. I will walk back home with her."

"Wha..what?" Jessica blinked, "You are planning to carry her like this all the way back to her house?"

Ignoring her astonishment, the _edhel_ courteously replied, "No need to worry. I will bring her back safely. Thank you once again and good night." Without waiting for her reply, he swiftly moved through the surrounding bystanders with Shannon secured in his arms and disappeared in seconds. Jessica stood awestruck, her head kept replaying the extraordinary encounter of her friend's mysterious housemate. _You sure he has no feeling towards you?_ Jessica inwardly sighed in disbelief. _He is absolutely enamoured of you, you silly girl._

Outside the chilly street walked Legolas with Shannon held close in his arms. He had hidden his face under the hood, but walking down the street while holding a woman in bridal style was deemed to draw unwanted attention. He glanced upwards at the heavily clouded sky. It was going to snow soon, and Legolas concluded that they should get away from public as soon as possible. He made a sharp turn to a dark alley, and after ensuring no audience nearby he darted deftly through the maze like backstreets and finally arrived the outskirt of a forest. Once making sure again no one was watching, he swiftly submerged himself deep into the woods. He was using the same route as how he got from Shannon's home to the pub in record speed, which he basically stayed far away from roads and walkways and cut through the woods that was not supposed to be trespassed. With Shannon in his arms he dared not to jump through the branches like how he came and instead he ran along the forest floor.

As expected, tiny frozen fractals started to dance in the air. Legolas flushed her body towards himself, hoping to transfer his heat to her and keep her warm. Shannon stirred and groggily looked up with heavy-lidded eyes. Legolas didn't acknowledge her nor did he slow down his pace.

"Are you mad at me?" She murmured, still feeling dizzy. The _edhel_ didn't respond. She closed her eyes tiredly, "Put me down."

He continued without sparing her a glance, "We are going back home."

"Put me down."

"You are drunk."

Shannon bit her lower lip and tried to wrestle away from his iron grip, but the _edhel_ didn't flinch an inch. Her frustration grew as she started to pound against his muscled chest and wildly kick her legs. Still Legolas didn't loosen a bit and continued to stare at the pitch-black woods in front.

"Leave me alone!" Shannon cried out with a sob.

"No."

"Why should you care?"

He didn't reply and she sobbed even harder.

"Just leave me alone!"

"You are drunk."

"I am a full grown woman and I can do whatever I want!" She was practically screaming now and Legolas finally came to a halt and looked down to her, his face expressionless.

"Including hurting yourself?" His voice rumbled from his chest, brimming with emotions.

"Why should you care?" Her lower lip trembled, "You make it clear that you have nothing to do with my love life."

"Shannon…" He warned yet she continued to hurl her pain towards him with teary eyes.

"I can choose whoever I kiss…"

"Shannon!"

"...And whoever I choose to bed with is none of your business!"

"Enough!" Legolas growled and shook her violently. His grip on her was too tight which might left bruises but none of the them could care now. Everything became eerily quiet. In the darkened forest, the only sound that could be heard were the soft weeping from the woman and heavy breathing from the _edhel_. As the sniveling started to fade, he finally willed himself to continue their journey. Fatigue consumed Shannon again. She was getting drowsy and covered her eyes with her forearm.

"I love you..." she whimpered.

As if being electrocuted, Legolas jerked and held his breath.

"Why … can't you love me back?" She muttered to herself as she sank back to subconscious, "Why… am I… not… enough…"

Legolas felt like someone had just punched him hard. Something inside him, a part of him, was shattered. The excruciating pain spread like wildfire, consuming both his body and mind. He wanted to succumb to it and diminish. The solid weight in his arms however brought him back to reality. _I can't fade yet. Not here, not now._ He gritted his teeth and marched on.

It was near midnight when they finally made it home. Legolas removed Shannon's boots and gently put her onto bed. He didn't bother to turn on the lights. Partly due to the fact that he could see perfectly just by the dim street lights seeping through the windows, and also partly because as rare as it could be in his long life he wanted to cloak himself by the serenity of darkness. His mission of escorting Shannon back home safely was complete. He should have no excuse to stay behind. Sitting on her bed however, his eyes drank in longingly the woman in front. He made one more mistake: his hand found hers and held it, a platonic gesture yet pushed him further down into his secret craving. His deep, desperate and forbidden craving for his _adaneth_.

Against his better judgement, he slowly leaned on and hovered over her. His face was inches above as he studied her - her nice brows, long eyelashes, small nose, delicate lips and silken hair. He was going to engrave every detail of her into his memory, which he knew would continue to haunt him till his days in the Halls of Mandos. His eyes flickered back to her lips. _Just a taste_ , a sinful voice inside him purred. Usually his rational side could drown the tempting voice, but tonight not anymore. Back at the forest, Shannon's confession and accusation had not only broken his heart but also his rationality.

" _Goheno nin._ "

He whispered huskily against her lips before closing their distance. Soft yet firm was his kiss, cautious not to wake her up but the passion conveyed transcended a thousand words. His lips finally departed and he rested his forehead lightly on hers.

" _Le melin._ "

For the rest of the night, the only sound that could be heard were the light breathing of the woman and the low sobbing of the _edhel_.

* * *

 **Sindarin-to-English Translation:**

Adaneth: Mortal woman

Edhel : Elf

Goheno nin : Forgive me

Le melin : I love you

 **Writer's Notes:**

Phew! I am glad I can get this chapter done before Christmas! I wish I can finish the next chapter within this winter so that the weather outside can still match with the atmosphere in the story (lol). And we fi~nal~ly~~ get to have more Legolas POV! In previous chapters I have been trying really, really hard to refrain myself from writing too much from Legolas's perspective as I want to start the story from Shannon's angle and observe the elf objectively. Now coming to chapter 17 I can withhold the elf no more, and hopefully in future chapters we can have more equal POVs from both the woman and the elf. I have next chapter in my mind for months and I am sure I will have lots of fun writing it down. Please stay tuned =)

A heartfelt thank you for all the readers, especially those who had spared your precious time leaving comments: **Raider-K, REMdream, Kaikitty165, , wildflower16, TheRadiantFire, Kristin, Arasa17, GHAPDY, marttapuustinen, jewels369, DarkAngel620, Kizuna Hikari, Candace , princesaangelbebe, Jedikitty92 , Woman of Letters, Linds and Goddessofwarriorcats.** All your encouragements and advice are essential for me to carry on with my work. Love you all~


	18. The Distance between Moon and Earth

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tolkien's work

* * *

 **Chapter 18 - The Distance between Moon and Earth**

A blue Mercedes slowly passed through the quiet streets of a residential neighbourhood, leaving a light tire trail behind the concrete pavement. Houses on both sides were elaborately decorated with festive lights, giving a fuzzy glow on the snowy courtyards.

The vehicle eventually pulled over, turned to a long driveway and halted. Out the car came Marcus, who was wearing a long black cashmere coat, tailor-made for a sleek and smart finish. He gingerly took out his gift from the car, dipped his head a little to shelter from the falling snow and made a few quick steps to the porch. He took a deep breath before ringing the bell, mentally prepared to meet one of the resident of the house who wasn't in his favourite people list but necessarily needed to act civilly to. A few seconds later, to his surprise instead of seeing someone answering the door he heard a soft "click" sound indicating the door was unlocked. He grabbed the handle and slowly pushed through the heavy door.

He stepped into the foyer and gently closed the door. Hearing some scrambling noise and urgent footsteps he looked up at the second floor where the sound came from.

"Give me two more minutes!" shouted Shannon from her room above.

"No problem! Take your time!" Marcus called back with a grin. He had long accustomed to his ex-fiancé habit of fumbling around before leaving the door. He slowly took in his surrounding, and to his relief there was no sight of the annoying blonde. The house was warm and gently lit by the large chandelier above. The shimmering lights from the sunroom drew his attention and he slowly approached the source of light.

At the end of the sunroom, a huge Christmas tree erected in front of the tall glass windows. The Fraser fir was decorated with classic red ribbons and shiny red and gold baubles, which sparkled under the numerous warm white fairy lights. Marcus took a step back and gazed upon the large glittering golden star treetop. In the past whenever Shannon's father was absent, it had been Marcus' honorary role of placing the star there. This year after he forfeited his privilege the task was obviously taken by someone else. A pang of jealousy crossed his chest but he quickly shook himself off it.

"Marcus? Where are you?" Shannon called as she descended the winding stair.

"I am coming over," he replied and headed back to the foyer. His eyes searched for her and literally froze at the spot. He had thought that after all these years he knew this girl inside-out there was nothing from her that he hadn't seen, but now he was amazed that he could still stunned by her beauty. Shannon kept her hair down and all swept back, accentuating her fine cheekbones and delicate features. She had done a marvelous job in her makeup, suitable for the occasion without overdoing it. Her skin looked radiant and supple, her collar bones and full chest were enticing, and her lips were sumptuous in glossy red matching her beautiful crimson gown. Marcus was entranced by her beauty, his gaze on her never faltered as she reached the foyer floor.

"Something's wrong?" Shannon asked innocently but silently applauded herself for her success in making the man's mouth watered.

"Ah… no, no. It's just…You look absolutely stunning." He quickly composed himself and thrusted a large bouquet of red rose to her. "And this is for you." He silently reprimanded himself for forgetting all the rehearsed flatterings and acted like a high school boy in front of his prom date.

Shannon held the bouquet and lightly touched its velvety petals, "Wow… thank you. They are beautiful." She took a sniff of the sweet smell and smiled. It was great to feel pampered and helped to sooth a bit her continuously bruised ego.

"Shall we go?"

Shannon nodded as she put the bouquet gently onto the nearby table and followed his lead towards the door. As he helped her wearing the outer coat, he casually threw in, "Where is Legolas by the way?"

Shannon's face instantly faltered but quickly recovered, though not quick enough to escape Marcus' observant eyes. "He left a note saying he has some business to tend with and will be away for a few days." Marcus marveled at this new found knowledge, but sensing her uneasiness on the topic he decided to drop it for now.

As Shannon stepped out of her house, she took a moment and observed her breath formed small puffs of cloud ascending to the sky. It was full moon tonight; silvery light shone bright and cold in the icy winter night. Ever so mesmerizing. Ever so unreachable.

 _Are you looking at the moon too, Legolas?_

* * *

Deep inside a thick forest several kilometers away from city came the steady whoosh and thud of arrows hitting target. Legolas lowered his bow as he released the last arrow. After forcefully planted his bow into the soft ground he walked briskly to retrieve the arrows from the tree. He cursed under breath in Sindarin as he saw the last arrow missed the target by five millimeters, which was a grave mistake for an archer with thousand years of experience. He pulled out all arrows in one swift motion and looked for another tree to bear his furious attack before causing too much damage to a single one. Spotted a sturdy oak a hundred meters away and he aimed without hesitation and shoot.

 _Crack_.

The arrow shattered as it made contact with the tree. The oak looked ordinary and wasn't impenetrable. The arrow was newly made by himself and nothing amiss duration its production. The problem was the wielder, aka himself, using too much force. Legolas looked at his hands and gave a shaky laugh. Even his prided skills was failing him.

 _Everything is falling apart._

Running a hand through his slightly disheveled hair he gazed upon the moon above. How long had he been hiding in this forest? Probably only a few days, but it felt much longer. Never had he felt so disoriented before. He was lost.

Lost in space, lost in time.

By bearings from the stars he had concluded that this was the same planet that he used to live, but everything on the surface was totally different. The planet was much older now and was utterly exploited. The landscape changed to unrecognizable state and magical powers diminished to non-existent. Trees were too young and lost the memories of the great days of the _edlel_. Nature could only wither in agony under the burgeoning greed of men.

This was the age of men and there was no place for _edhel_.

Not that Legolas could not see the positive side of men's advancement. To be fair, he did admire (if not indulge quite a bit) the convenience and luxury brought by modernization. However his root was _Eryn Lasgalen_ , the great kingdom of green woods, and like his people he breathed and co-existed with nature for thousands of years. It was only time when his curiosity was satiated and got bored by the excitement offered by technology. He knew sooner or later he would succumb to loneliness and would will himself to diminish.

Why? Why did the _Valars_ send him here? Why did he have to witness the end of the world, to see how the great works and deeds of his people evaporated from this planet? These questions had been ringing in his mind ever since he set foot on this bizarre place, and not long was he aware that the _adaneth_ he met might have held the key to this.

He knew destiny had brought her to him, or him to her. Against all odds she accepted him with open arms and they became fast friends. Throughout his long _edhel_ life he of course had made plenty of friends with the fairer sex, but no one could truly capture his affection as much as Shannon did. Perhaps due to the strange fate that brought them together. Perhaps her kindness to him at his most vulnerable state drew him to her. Perhaps he was pulled to her by her unique character that was so different from the _elleth_ and _adaneth_ from his era. Perhaps she was one of the very few who would treat him just who he was but not the son of great King Thranduil. Perhaps….

Legolas smiled bitterly and shook his head. It didn't matter now how many valid reasons out there for him to fall for her because there was only one possible outcome.

He couldn't have her. No, perhaps he _could_ , but he knew he shouldn't.

His traitorous mind led him back to his siren, who was now probably wearing the red alluring gown that he personally picked and was dancing with that man. Was he a masochist, throwing coals into the infernal before lying in? He facepalmed and gave a low guttural growl.

Never would he imagined there came a day he would envy someone from the race of _Edain_.

* * *

Shannon took a deep breath and smoothed her gown again. They were standing at a hallway where music and laughters could be heard rolling from the grand ballroom.

"Ready?" Marcus asked softly.

"Sure. Bring it on." Shannon looked up with determination of a soldier at WWI trench. He chuckled and offered his arm which Shannon automatically clutched onto it. Putting his other hand lightly on hers he spoke lowly near her ear. "Leave the talking to me. Just relax and enjoy the night." After lightly squeezing her hand he smoothly led her towards the ballroom.

Shannon gasped as she stepped into the grand ballroom. The 20k square-feet room was topped with 10-meter-high coffered light grey ceilings where a line of huge star-shaped golden and crystal chandeliers were installed. Golden leaves with intricate designs adorned the crown moldings of each white-washed walls and pillars. The enormous floor-to-ceiling window frames at the back highlighted the grandiose of the venue. They approached one of the tables that layered with delicate pastries, and silver linen was decked with fresh white and blue flowers. Eyeing the colourful macarons dusted with gold powder, Shannon muttered. "The DuPonts surely have too much money to burn. You sure you received a Christmas party invitation not a wedding reception?"

Marcus smiled as he took 2 flutes of champagne from a nearby waiter and passed one to his partner. "I would expect nothing less from the sole heir of the conglomerate empire. And I heard some tittle-tattles that the old DuPonts had personally decreed to make tonight's event big."

"Why?"

"Think of him like the king in Cinderella."

"Cinderella?"

Instead of replying her, Marcus took a glimpse at her back. "I will explain to you later. Target located. 7 O'clock."

Shannon gulped without moving a bit. "That's easier than I thought."

"Yes. Let's wait till he comes to us first."

"Do I look okay?" She asked as she looked up through her thick lashes.

Marcus smirked. "Couldn't be better."

He took a quick glance sideways again. "Great he is approaching. Your bright red dress definitely helps." He winked and she rolled her eyes in return. They continued to pretend in deep conversation until a male voice called from Shannon's behind.

"Pleasure to see you, Marcus!"

Marcus looked up. "Trevor! Thank you for your invitation." He grinned and put out his hand which the host grasped and shook. Shannon slowly turned around to face the junior DuPonts with a lovely smile. "Let me introduce you Shannon Fraser, our Production Director."

Shannon took a step forward and extend her hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr DuPonts."

"Just Trevor." He lightly took her hand and kissed her knuckles without breaking his gaze on her. Shannon had seen him in photos before, but seeing him up close definitely gave a totally different impression. Still handsome with the air of a decadent, rich playboy, his downturned green eyes twinkled with a sharp gleam that the paparazzi failed to capture. His kiss was slightly longer than what she deemed as appropriate but she kept her expression neutral. As he release her hand gently and turned to Marcus again, "What an enchanting beauty you've brought. You planned to steal all the spotlights tonight, aren't you?"

Both men laughed and Trevor gave a playful pad on Marcus' shoulder. As promised Marcus did most of the talking but still smoothly engaged Shannon to chip in a bit at some point of their conversations so that she could demonstrate her business knowledge without being seen as a simple wall flower. She sipped her champagne and observed her long time friend in front. _He is always good at this_ , she silently praised.

Over the rim of the glass she suddenly realised someone was looking at their direction. The fair-skinned man stood tall in crisp black tuxedo, his platinum blonde hair was long enough to tie a sleek low ponytail behind that reached his shoulders. Shannon's heart took an involuntary leap. _No, not him_. The man was surely gorgeous but still leagues behind her supernatural friend. _It's not him! Get a grip!_ Shannon silently cursed and held her glass with both hands to stop herself from shaking. Why just a distant shadow of him could easily rile her up? She took another peek and further confirmed their stark differences. _At least he will never glare at me that way. Wait. Why does this guy keep frowning at me?_ She pulled her attention away from the strange blonde and turned back to her company who were now wrapping up the conversation.

"I will be back from Paris in 2 weeks and let's meet up again to go through the plan in detail." Shannon blinked at the sudden progress of business talk and wondered how long had she zoned out. Before the host depart he turned to Shannon again. He paused a second without speaking, gave a courteous nod to her before disappearing in the crowd. For some unknown reason the faint smirk planted on his face before leaving really bothered her. She felt a warm hand on her shoulder and looked up.

"You okay?"

"He is kind of creepy."

Marcus looked amused. "You mean Trevor or his lover?"

"Lover?" Marcus' head slightly tilted and Shannon took a glance at his indicated direction. There stood Trevor talking with the exact same blonde who moments ago had tried to tear Shannon into pieces through his stares. He looked irritated and was talking feverishly near Trevor's ears but the host seemed unfazed.

"Lover … I see." Shannon widened her eyes as the implication sank in. "Well no, actually I don't. I don't care his lover likes to be this jealousy-as-hell boyfriend. But why did he give ME death glares?"

Marcus shrugged. "Maybe Trevor secretly swings both ways? I am not that close to him to engage such conversation." He muttered as he took another drink. "Actually I prefer never to have a deep tête-à-tête with him about his sexual orientation."

Wiggling her eyebrow suggestively she lightly bumped her partner. "If you are worried you can you grab Karl or some other guy along when having meeting with him."

"Well thanks for your advice. I am pretty sure I can take care of myself." He chuckled. "Come on, we've accomplished our mission. Let's enjoy the night." He raised his flute and Shannon gently smiled and toasted hers. As Marcus had promised it was indeed an pleasurable evening. She enjoyed the food and wine. She met some acquaintances as well as made couple of new friends. She received lots of direct compliments as well as plenty of admiring gazes while she weaved her way among the crowd.

Shannon should feel content, but she couldn't ignore the consistent pang in her heart. Like a dull note from a broken track kept repeating in the background, she found no way to tune it out. She tried to focus on the party laying out in front but a soft voice in her kept whispering the name that had been pulling her heartstrings. Looking vacantly at the bubbling golden liquid her mind was wandering again to someone out there in the dark.

* * *

Legolas leaned heavily on the nearest tree panting as another wave of pain coursed through his body. He clutched his heart and quenched his eyes shut. He knew thinking of her would only worsen the pain but now he practically gave up disciplining his mind as many times had proven that the attempts were futile. He couldn't be honest with her, so at least he could be honest with himself.

He loved her and he wanted her. As a male and a female. Just as simple as that. Why things had to be so complicated?

He doubted again if he was doing the right thing. His rational mind told him that alienating from this mortal woman was the wisest option for them both. His heart, however, screamed the entire opposite. Deep in him was this yearning to hold onto and grasp at what he truly desired, no matter what consequences would be. It was akin to that juvenile passion that he used to possess when he was small which should have burned out ages ago. It was such a beautiful sensation that he wanted to clutch tightly with both hands even though it was scorching him. He would happily choose to let the fire burn him down to ashes rather than forgoing.

But no. He couldn't. He _shouldn't_.

His millennium years worth of wisdom was condemning him as being childish and selfish. It was his own doing. If only he could put a leash to his heart and not draw to her. If only he could keep his emotions in check and not lead her on. If only he could have his desire hidden and not crossing that thin line of platonic friendship. His _ada_ would be utterly disappointed with him; not only he tied his heart to a mortal, but also started a love that he had no power to secure and reciprocate. Never in his life as an _edhel_ did he find himself inadequate. As the Firstborn of _Eru Ilúvatar_ , as the Prince of an ancient royal line in _Arda_ , as a seasoned warrior that had fought against _Sauron_ at the frontier, Legolas had feel confident in his whole life. Even in the darkest hour during wars when he and his comrades were outnumbered by myriads of orcs, he still did not lose hope and fought his way out. However now in this peaceful, foreign world he was hopeless.

" _Useless_. _Pathetic."_

Legolas chuckled and started to laugh out loud. Gradually his laughter turned to borderline maniac as he slid his back down against the tree.

" _Just take my fxxking life away."_

* * *

 **Sindarin-to-English Translation:**

Ada: Father

Adaneth: Mortal woman

Arda: Earth

Edain: Men

Edhel : Elf

Elleth: Elf-maid

Eru Ilúvatar: The supreme deity of Arda

 **Writer's Notes:**

Hello all dear readers! I miss you loads! Hope you all enjoy this chapter. I originally planned to have this published around Christmas so that the atmosphere could fit the weather outside, but oh well…. I now rely on you guys to expand your imagination to feel the melancholy, chill mood in the book under the bright summer sun ;-)

It took me like 5 months to update, which was much longer that I expected. Originally I thought I could finish this chapter in lightening speed as I had planned this episode right at the very beginning, but when I actually started typing I found myself got stuck at cross road. I have the ending in mind for long and still want to stick with it, but I want to be extra careful with character development. The last thing I want is to bend and break the characters in order to achieve the pre-determined ending (see the disaster of Game of Thrones Season 8 for reference).

Some quick updates from me. Recently I have fallen HARD for the kpop band BTS! Yes I am a proud ARMY! I never stan any kpop bands before (or any type of singers/artists in general), so this is the first time I fall for is probably also one of the reason my update came late as I spent hours and hours to watch all the MVs and videos on the web (oops). Another update is that I recently start the project of editing the previous chapters. While I write the new chapter I sometime will go back to the old ones, to refresh my mind as well as to ensure the character developments are align. There are always some places in the old chapters that I cringe whenever I read again. I won't change the major plot line but there are sure some lines I wished I had written in a different way. So I start rewriting and the edited version is now published at WattPad. The main reason why I don't upload here is simple: I don't know how to do it! -_-;; I am afraid I may accidentally remove the whole story or the reviews/followers that have been accumulating. I treasure each single review from you readers, and rather than taking risk I will just post it in another place, which seems to be an easier way out for myself.

For those who are interested in the edited version you can find it at  my. /DtuIMo11UW As of now only 1 chapter is uploaded and chapter 2 is on the way. Ha, you know my speed of updating =P

To my precious readers who have left your comments for the last chapter: **WickedGreene13, TheRadiantFire, REMdream, Goddessofwarriorcats, Raider-K, TimelessTraveler, Kaikitty165, Dandylion Laraka, Diana, Sophie A, Musicjewel, kristin, ally, Kristin, Malissa, Mystic Moon Flower**. Thanks for your support and ideas. I have read every single comment and these are my great motivation for getting me to continue writing. Love you loads!


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